1 John
9 In this the love of God was manifested
toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we
might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He
loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Love is not merely idea or feeling
although love encompasses both gut and mind, feeling and reason.
Love acts. Love is made “manifest.”
God loves not merely in words but
in deeds. Everything God does is an
expression of His love towards us.
Creation itself was an act of love. It was not necessary for God to create as if something was missing or that He needed the creation to somehow satisfy a want. No, God created freely, graciously, as an act of pure love.
Preservation of creation is also an act of love. Holding the earth in orbit, giving us air to breath, water to drink, food to
eat, joys to enjoy, disciplines to endure are all part of God’s love.
But the pinnacle of God’s love is
revealed when His only begotten Son was sent to die for our sins.
It is horrible to labor under the
curse of death.
I have been so reminded, no,
confronted with that reality this past two weeks with the passing of Trish's dad Yogi.
I hate death. I despise it. It is
unnatural, meant for no man. Our spirits cry out against it as contrary to all
God is and all God desires.
Death surely is the curse of sin
and rebellion against a loving God. It is the curse the apostle Paul labeled the "last enemy" (1 Cor. 15:21). Thank God that enemy is defeated!
The cost of defeating death was high, yet in His great and infinite love God
has sent His Son into the world to die so that through Him we might live.
This is our great need after all,
is it not? To live.
We exist daily under the curse of
death. We are faced with it at every turn. It is not merely our 71 year old
fathers, but our 38 year old neighbors who leave behind a wife and 4 little
children.
Death is the horrible reality of
life and I do not fully understand why or how that in Christ’s death we find
life, but I believe and receive it’s truth, that Christ died so that I might
live.
And so I do. Today I live, not just
for today, but for all eternity. Why? Because that is the promise of God. That
is the measure of God’s love for me and for you. It is immeasurable and
eternal.
It has no end, no expiration date. There is no time limit on God's love.
In this great and wonderful act of giving is God's love manifested, not that we loved
God, but that he loved us and sent His Son to cover our sins.
It is not harsh that the Bible says we do
not love God.
It is a simple statement of fact.
We have turned from God, run from
God, rebelled against God. We have done nearly anything but love God, yet while
we were still sinners Christ died for the ungodly (Rom 5:8).
God did not have to send His Son.
He was not compelled by any force other than His own character of love.
That word “propitiation” is an
unusual word. It carries the meaning of forgiveness and the putting away of
anger.
Yes, God has a “holy wrath” against sin.
He has every right to for sin cannot be in His presence.
It was thus necessary for God’s
wrath against sinners to be dealt with justly and yet also in love.
Here stands the cross, the pinnacle of God’s love. In the death of Christ on the cross the wrath of
God was satisfied for once and for always.
So what?
This then is love
as God is love, that He gave Himself for those who by all means did not deserve
it.
We must,
therefore, give of ourselves. To whom? To those who do not deserve it? Yes.
That is one thing
about Trish’s dad that meant so much to me.
He gave of
himself whether it was helping me to carry in the luggage at Christmas when the
children were little or whether it was coming to John’s 13th
birthday party or just sitting and listening to me.
You could always
depend on him. There was never any question.
That’s pure love.
That’s divine love that comes from God.
God’s love is
selfless.
I wonder if I
truly give of myself like that.Most days, probably not. But with God's help I can.
Does the love of
God live in me and flow through me to cover the sin that is in me and all
around me?
I pray so.
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