God’s love — not like ours!

 

Today’s reading says that Christians tend to view the love of God in the same way that we love others, which is often selfishly and with impatience, suspicion, and conditions attached. That is, I most love those people who have characteristics that please me, and this can warp my idea of God’s love — thinking that He only loves me when I do the things that please Him.

This attitude is some of the reason Paul wrote to the Galatians. They were trying to please God by keeping rules so he wrote:

Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (Galatians 3:2–3)

I understand this and am aware of the flesh and those selfish motives and actions that are contrary to living like Jesus. I’m also aware that loving others is not the same as my old nature’s version of love. Jesus said:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34–35)

God’s love is unconditional, wants the best for me and is well described, both by the written Word and His living Word. But still the flesh tries to ruin it. I’ve realized from these and other verses and by the conviction of the Holy Spirit that when another Christian loves me with that God-like love, I selfishly enjoy its appeal to my old nature when I should be seeing it as a gift from God to show me how to obey the above new commandment! The people who are unselfish and love others like Jesus loves are models, teachers, instructors — not only a wonderful gift from God, but sent to show me what I should be doing also.

Abiding in the love of God is not wrong. It is the only way to survive the storms of life. Several other Christians have shown me how to love others like Jesus does by simply being like Him and I need to learn from that, not just selfishly eat it up like a bratty kid who will not share her birthday cake. God does not give His love to me so I will hoard it, but so I will share it.

Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5)

The older King James version says: “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5) so I searched the meaning of “poured into” and the sense is: “to be expressed, be poured out.” That is, God loves me so that His love will go forth from me, not for me to hoard it for my own enjoyment. This gives new meaning to verses like these two:

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. (Hebrews 13:16)

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12:13)

Surely the needs of others includes that amazing love. While sharing it with others, it will be a sacrifice, a giving up of my time, effort, and selfish I-wants, but such sharing is never going to leave me bereft for God’s love in inexhaustible. It never runs out. I can give it away and He pours more into my life.

PRAY: Of course I know this is true. It is the doing of it that often eludes me. Jesus, You are the source of all goodness and loving kindness, yet You have sent me several examples of how You want that to look in my life, not just for me to enjoy but to imitate. Thank You for Your sweet, unlimited love demonstrated. Enable me to be more teachable and to learn from and imitate these who are far more obedient than I have been.

Faith without works? Or what?

Numbers 19; Psalms 56–57; Isaiah 8:1–9:7; James 2

A man attends our church who has a handicap. His handicap does not bother me, but something does and I’m not sure what it is. He is overweight, often unkept, and has the attitude that everyone should wait on him. The handicap bus used to transport him but the driver was so annoyed with his demands that he refused to do it any longer.

I’m instinctively repulsed by this man. I don’t want to talk to him or help him find his way through the brunch line. Others do, but I struggle to be anywhere near him. I’ve not heard him say anything that honors Jesus. Perhaps this is what bugs me. I’d like to think the Holy Spirit is giving me discernment without explanation but that seldom happens. Maybe I’m just a respecter of persons?

James wrote, “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” (James 2:1) Obviously Jesus never turns away those who come to Him. He did shake His fist at hypocrites though. Is this what is behind my reaction to this person? Or am I making an excuse?

My commentary says that, “Complete and consistent obedience is required if spiritual maturity is to be attained. The believer is commanded to accept his brother with courtesy, compassion, and consistency.”

James would agree. He goes on to say:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:14–17)

This illustration can also give me another excuse. This man is not lacking in clothes or food. He does not require those kinds of things. Yet “the law of love gives no excuse for respect of persons, so the possession of faith gives no license to dispense with good works. A believer must not only demonstrate his love by ready acceptance of others, but he must also demonstrate his faith by responsible aid to others” meaning I’ve no reason not to help the man or to feel such repulsion toward him. But I do.

Our live-stream church service this morning gave me an answer. It was on Matthew 5:3 that says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The pastor did an excellent job of explaining what it means to be poor in spirit. He summed it up: poverty of spirit means realizing that I do not have what it takes to meet the challenges of life.

Simply put, I cannot love those that are unlovable; that is the work of Jesus in me. In this situation, my poverty of spirit is showing up. There is nothing in me that can do what James says about being impartial. I simply cannot do it. Instead of looking for reasons why, I’m to confess that I cannot accept all members of God’s family without favoritism and I cannot to minister to them with a working faith. I am not trusting God for both direction and enablement. It matters not why I have this gut reaction to this one person, but I know that will be my reaction unless or until God enables a different attitude.

APPLY: Talk to God about this. Poverty of spirit is not a bad condition. He says that it is blessed, even a mark of those who belong to His kingdom. First step is getting past using “I cannot do this” as an excuse and after that, I need to be willing to ask the Lord to change my attitude — and I can’t do that either.

Another day of war

Genesis 40; Job 6; Mark 10; Romans 10

This day is strange. We had to go early to the ER to get the packing out of my nose before the waiting room filled with people. I had slept soundly, partly due to a bandana that kept the air moist since mouth breathing in our part of the world is like drinking sand. I have no words to describe my state of mind when hubby woke me. My mind and body felt dislocated. I was mumbling and could not hear very well. Even after the the packing was pulled out, I still could not breathe properly.

In conversation with the doctor on call, I was told something that I recognized as a fear tactic from my spiritual enemy. I retaliated by saying that my health, life and death were in the hands of God and I will die when the Lord decides it is time. I must take care of myself (not play in traffic) but God is in charge. I don’t make decisions based on fear. The doctor was somewhat startled.

Genesis 40 describes Joseph wrongfully in prison. Two other prisoners have dreams which he interprets. He credited God for what he told them. Both interpretations came true. However, in the story, Joseph tells the prisoner who survived to relate his situation to the Pharaoh. That man forgets and Joseph stays in jail for two more years. Yet during all this he does not confuse God’s providential rule with God’s moral approval. That is, just because he was wrongfully convicted and the man who was released forgot to go to bat for him does not mean that God was upset with Joseph. And Joseph knew it.

This is helpful to my faith too. Just because my world is upside-down does not mean God is mad at me. I can trust the goodness of my sovereign, providential God, while confronting and opposing the evil that takes place in this fallen world and the discomforts happening in my life.

That is why, even as I waited for the all-clear to leave the ER, I was praying against the enemy who is throwing arrows at me and even at my family. I know that somehow this is about my sister’s Celebration of Life service tomorrow and my prayers that Christ will be lifted up and God will be glorified. The enemy does not want me to pray or glorify God or any of the things I’m praying for to happen.

Job didn’t confuse God’s providential rule with God’s moral approval either. He lost everything but he knew that God is sovereign and his redemption was not based on his own goodness or lack thereof. He also knew he’d done nothing to ‘earn’ his losses. He answered the accusations of his ‘friends’ with, “Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray. How forceful are upright words! But what does reproof from you reprove?” (Job 6:24–25)

If they could prove he was sinning, he would listen, but the force of their words was not convincing him just as Joseph’s unlawful imprisonment did not prove the wrath of God was on him.

I’m seeing the spiritual war going on with this physical challenge to my body and in the other events of this week that seem designed to turn me from faith to fear. But Jesus stands by, my Lord and my Savior. He is my refuge and my strength, today and always. I refuse to let the liar turn me away from trusting Jesus Christ.

Tough love? Or twisted love?

Last week I finished a fiction crime mystery in which the antagonist killed his first wife and tried to kill the second when they were pregnant. He didn’t want children. The odd part of the story is that this man was weeping as he did his evil deeds.

The story has him mentally ill, but it made me think of how twisted human thinking can be concerning love. The word is not only used for chocolate and pizza, but people claim great love for their family members as the reason for putting them to death. Sometimes they do it to ‘spare them’ from suffering. Sometimes they do it because they feel unloved in return.

The love of God is not like that. First and most important, His love is not conditional. That is, it does not depend on what we do or do not do. He loves because He is love and the very source of it . . .

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7–8)

This love wants the eternal best for His people. If His love is accepted, it becomes real and enjoyed. The problem comes when it is rejected. Then Satan’s biggest lie is readily accepted (“God does not love you”) and the idea of love is in danger of being perverted.

For instance, it is possible to discipline children because of love. Parents want their children to be safe, self-controlled, and able to treat others with respect. If love gets twisted, then parents might discipline because their children are annoying them or only because they had a bad day at work. This is not love.

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth with strong words of discipline. He didn’t want them to think he was being mean but to realize his words were driven by love. Love cares that other Christians live godly lives. Love will, if need be, do whatever is necessary to get those who stray back on track. At the same time, the one who is administering that loving discipline may feel conflicted . . .

But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. (2 Corinthians 1:23–2:4)

I can relate to Paul’s anguish. Who wants to speak harshly to those they love? I don’t. However, there are times when another person is harming themselves and others by their actions. Sometimes God puts it on my heart to say something, to speak the truth in love with whatever level of bluntness is required.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, this is always a tough assignment. I’m hoping You won’t test me on it today yet a test would not come as a surprise. Help me remember that love is not mushy nor is it cruel. Your love is about godliness. When I act like an unsaved person, it is love that wants a change. Because I can be stubborn, that change might require a swift kick or a smack to wake me up to my foolishness. Yet You do it in love, hugging me as You discipline me. Grant me the grace I need for whatever comes my way today.

Today’s thankful list . . .

Hot baths.

Apricots.

Visit from another granddaughter who came over on her day off work.

Quick mail order service.

PayPal making it easy to get paid.

Flowers, ferns, herbs and berries.

My incredibly thoughtful husband.