Skip to main content

How God Showed His Love

             This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (I John 4:9)

A number of posts in the past have mentioned or discussed the Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I’ve also shared my belief that love is seeking what is in the best interests of the beloved. In today’s passage, God is shown as a giver of gifts. He gave His Son to us, for us, and in our place, and He gave His Son permission to give Himself for all those purposes. He could have told Jesus He wasn’t permitted but He gave Him permission to do what love required of Jesus, knowing the cost, and He allowed Jesus to take the responsibility He chose to and to suffer the pain that such a responsibility required.

In giving His Son, God served our needs. In coming, Jesus served our needs.

The 33 years that Jesus spend in Palestine are far removed from ours, but because of the records of His time here, the high quality of that time spent continues, as do the words of affirmation He spoke to us. Of the languages described by Dr. Chapman, only physical touch seems to be missing from this verse. If you can find it, I’ll be glad to hear of it from you.

But as I consider this passage and our calling to imitate Christ, I find myself wondering about the extent of the sacrifice we should be willing to make for the best interest of those we are called to love. One of the key issues is the question of what is truly in the best interest of our beloveds. How far did God allow His Son to go in doing what could not have been done by another? I think that question may answer the larger question. What is in the best interest of the beloved is for the beloved to do what the beloved can, and we are to step in when the beloved cannot.

To the extent that the beloved can do for him/herself, he/she should. We may step in to show our love only if that stepping in does not reduce the beloved in some way. That’s a hard line to draw. And it’s hard to stand by and allow the beloved to face something difficult or painful that the beloved can face. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Right Road

          Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (Psalm 139:7-12)                  For years before GPSes existed, I told people I wanted something in my car that would tell me, “Turn left in half a mile…turn left in a quarter mile…turn left in 500 feet… turn left in 100 feet…turn left now …You missed the turn, Dummy!” The problem isn’t necessarily that I get lost so much as I’m afraid I’ll get lost. I don’t want to have to spend my whole trip stressing over the next turn. I have the same problem with my spiritual journey.   
Post a Comment
Read more

Died as a Ransom

                 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:15)                  This is something I’d really rather not think about but here it is and it’s important. I was reading in Bold Love about seeking revenge.  The author wrote of seeking justice when a supposed Christian does something sinful, harmful, and/or horrific, like sexually abusing a daughter.  And the thought that came to mind was of God asking if Jesus’ death was sufficient payment to me for the sin committed against me.                I have no specific longing for revenge, vengeance, or justice. I’m sure there are some lurking somewhere in my heart, but this wasn’t a response to one. It was more a question of principle. Jesus’ death was sufficient payment for to God for our sins.  That’s the standard Sunday Schoo
1 comment
Read more

Out of the Depths

  Out of the depths I have cried to You, Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleadings.   If You, Lord, were to keep account of guilty deeds, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, so that You may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and I wait for His word. My soul waits in hope for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; Yes, more than the watchmen for the morning. Israel, wait for the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his guilty deeds . (Psalm 130)             I like Mr. Peterson’s interpretation of the first line. “The bottom has fallen out of my life!” Of course, the problem for some of us is the fact that we’re drama queens, and/or we’re weak. Any time anything happens that disturbs our sense of mastery and control, the bottom has fallen out of our lives. If the past couple of days have taught me anything, they’ve t
1 comment
Read more