I have been considering love again dear reader. Not the romantic kind, as wonderful and wooing as discussing this topic can be: I am thinking along the lines of fearless love as compared to Gods all knowing, all encompassing love. What is the distinction, you ask?
Human love, as perceived by this here writer: it is given and taken away; here and then gone; love and hate occupy the same coin and it is a toss up which one lands; it is declared and rescinded; it is moody and untrustworthy; love declared can be love denounced. You get the picture dear reader? Love, from humans, is unstable, unpredictable, a little frightening and disillusioning, to say the least.
Gods love is like this: “But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Continuing with the comparisons
Human love is predicated, dependant on circumstances and situations, likes and dislikes.
Gods love sees us just as we are, and is lavishly luxurious, despite our warthog ways.
I have clearly, disappointingly, done a disservice in my description of the love of God. I mean seriously dear reader, God loved us while we were still sinners, and his son DIED for us…
Would you die for someone
Would you die for someone? Would you die for someone that has hurt you, broken your heart, said they loved you and then suddenly stopped? Someone who declared forever and broke away at half-time; someone you trusted, invested in and were betrayed by? Would you, could you, love them past this as they are, still in their sin? As you read and I continue to write, can you feel your hackles rising as you relive the recent rescinding of declared and now, denounced, love? Love given and then taken away leaves a raw wound and the root of bitterness can plant itself in the heart and fester there, if given permission.
Funny thing is, we are all novices, aren’t we dear reader, with innumerable opportunities to learn the art of love: from others, from our own errs and omissions when we are brave enough to take a good hard look at ourselves, and mostly valuably: we can learn from our God.
Love Master
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| Love like The Master |
I declare, yet again, that I want to become a Love Master. I rededicate myself to the learning of fearless love. God loves us knowingly, and we cannot hide from him all of who we are, but I am reminded, that as a snippet of his creation, I am an image bearer, and so, dear reader, are you. This gives me a significant measure of hope, that I can love like the Master, Jesus Christ: you know, the man/god that died for the sins of the world, yours and mine?
As Christ followers, we are called to be like our Saviour:
“For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren“ (Romans 8:29).
You see dear reader, we were loved before we knew what love looked like and acted like, and before we knew who love is. Love is God and love is action: in other words, they will know we are Christians by our love, as the old song goes. Love isn’t a trade, it is a lavish gift bestowed, without expectation of reciprocation.
Can you, will you, love lavishly, fearlessly, dear one? Consider yourself invited to the greatest challenge of your life.
