WHY SHOULD HE LOVE ME SO?

Recently my pastor spoke on Matthew 5:44 - 45,  " But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven."  He concluded his message by challenging each of us to think of someone who we might classify as an enemy, somebody who has treated us unfairly, someone whom we can't stand to be around.  Then he asked us to pray for that person regularly during the coming week.  Now most of us don't have a problem thinking of people who would fit that description.  We all have folks who have hurt or mistreated us.  They may have ridiculed us or even persecuted us for our beliefs.  There are those who just upset us by their presence.  But pray for them?  As hard as that may seem, that is what Jesus challenged us to do.  And He set the example for us when He left all the beauty and riches of heaven to come to this earth to die for our sins.  And the scripture reminds us that we have all sinned and come short of His glory.  And while we were yet sinners, He came and died for us.  We certainly didn't deserve it at all.  Ephesians 2:4-5, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved."  And how often I have questioned why He would ever do this for me.  And I can't come up with a single answer except that it was His great love, a love unmatched by any other action in history.  And probably it was this overwhelming question that drove Robert Harkness (1880 - 1961) to pen this question and put it to music in 1924.  In 1902, evangelist R. A. Torrey, and his song leader, Charles Alexander, were conducting revivals in Australia. Harkness, a local author, composer, and musician, attended a service. He met the two and soon became Alexander's pianist. Not long after that, under the influence of Torrey's preaching, Harkness was converted. He made several round-the-world tours with them. He became well known for his radio program, "The Music of the Cross," and his correspondence course, "Evangelistic Piano Playing." Not the least, he wrote over 2,000 hymns and Gospel songs. In the later part of his life, Harkness and his wife conducted many sacred concert tours throughout North America, England, Scandinavia and the Continent. He returned to Australia and his home city of Bendigo seven times. On each occasion he gave sacred concerts and played hymns tunes on his father's foundry whistles. A feature of the concerts was his invitation to the audience to suggest a text to which immediately he would compose and play a tune.  The verses in this week's hymn emphasizes the substitutionary nature of Christ's death, the suffering involved in Christ's death, and the purpose of Christ's death.  As you meditate upon the words of this hymn this week, may your love for the Lord be rekindled as you ponder why He would do this for you.

(1)    Love sent my Savior to die in my stead;

Why should He love me so?

Meekly to Calvary's cross He was led;

Why should He love me so?

Why should He love me so?

Why should He love me so?

Why should my Savior to Calvary go?

Why should He love me so?

(2)    Nails pierced His hands and His feet for my sin;

Why should He love me so?

He suffered sore my salvation to win;

Why should He love me so?

Why should He love me so?

Why should He love me so?

Why should my Savior to Calvary go?

Why should He love me so?

(3)    O how He agonized there in my place;

Why should He love me so?

Nothing withholding my sin to efface;

Why should He love me so?

Why should He love me so?

Why should He love me so?

Why should my Savior to Calvary go?

Why should He love me so?

You can listed to it here.   LISTEN