How does God's love meet the daily grind in this sometimes awful world? We know from the Bible that His love is steadfast and deep (see Psalm 57, especially verse 10). In our hearts, though, love is intricately tied to comfort and the presence of someone who cares...so if this is the love that describes to the greatest degree our God, how does that fit within the reality we see day in and day out? So many people ask, "How could a loving God let _________ happen?" I've asked it myself. I don't yet grasp the full answer, and have walked by faith, knowing that I have every reason to hold fast to God even when I don't understand.
But a new understanding of how this all works has been ruminating in my mind. Ephesians 5:2 sums it up pretty well - "And walk in love, as Christ LOVED us and GAVE HIMSELF up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Because of the curse of sin over our world (which, by the way, we as humanity INVITED and continue to earn by our rebellion against God), God's love is played out in SACRIFICE. We EARNED our just rewards of death, misery, and broken relationships - we just struggle to comprehend this sometimes because we forget the majesty of our God and how drastically we have rebelled against and dishonored Him. Jesus Christ, who came to earth, did NOT earn any of that suffering. Yet He came and experienced it to the greatest extent as a sacrifice so that we would not have to experience it for eternity. Because of sin, the way to bring us comfort and true life required sacrifice and death on the part of Jesus...and now on the part of us as well.
Christ is our example as we, redeemed, gratefully follow Him, brought to true vibrant life now, and anticipating life eternal. The only way to embrace God's love, live in it, and share it in this sin-sick world is by some SACRIFICE of ourselves and our sin-tainted desires. We must lay down our rebellion against God and our strangle hold on the gifts God has given us...because He has bought back for us this greater life, this greater love, that lasts. That is why Jesus calls His disciples to deny themselves and follow Him (Mark 8:34). Our sacrifices we make in order to love God wholeheartedly and love others zealously are not gaining us salvation...they are a joyful surrender to the life of TRUE life and joy that God has brought us into in Christ. Denying ourselves the pleasures of this world is worth nothing intrinsically, but should be done without an extra thought if it is required of us in this journey with eyes fixed on Christ. It should be done without an extra thought for what we are "missing out on" or for "what virtue we are gaining" in the sight of others (see Matthew 6:1).
So where have we gotten ourselves?
1) Sin = death and destruction; temporary comforts sometimes try to cover this up
2) Christ came to address the deep issue, sacrificing Himself to death to bring us to God, true love/comfort, and eternal life
3) He calls us to follow in His footsteps, finding a more vibrant daily life as we die to self, idolatry to temporary comforts, sin, and personal goals as we follow Him, gaze on His glory, and learn of His heart of love for all. Love takes no thought of self, and gives sacrificially for Christ's sake.
1) Sin = death and destruction; temporary comforts sometimes try to cover this up
2) Christ came to address the deep issue, sacrificing Himself to death to bring us to God, true love/comfort, and eternal life
3) He calls us to follow in His footsteps, finding a more vibrant daily life as we die to self, idolatry to temporary comforts, sin, and personal goals as we follow Him, gaze on His glory, and learn of His heart of love for all. Love takes no thought of self, and gives sacrificially for Christ's sake.
God's love reaches into this sin-sick world and calls us higher, to His heart. He doesn't call us out of this world, but that we would love IN it in sacrificial love as we follow our Savior, all by His power. He calls us to rest in the truth and act in love NOW, knowing that His love affects, but doesn't completely fix, this sinful world. His complete fix is the new heaven and earth, which we wait for with joy.
Our comfort then each day is not God's love shown to us by a multitude of material comforts and a plush life, but rather His presence as the Holy Spirit, His drawing us to deeper lasting joys in this life (which almost always seem a result of some giving of self), and His hope of the future "complete fix". We can revel in His small gifts and joys He does give us along the way as we focus on and point other people to Him who reigns above this sin-sick world. This is His love that is deeper, necessarily sacrificial in this sin-sick world, is longer lasting, and more vibrant than any love we could claim God "doesn't have".
So truly our call is to "walk in LOVE, as Christ LOVED us and GAVE Himself up for us."
I'd love to hear your responses and thoughts about this topic. Let's learn from each other as we look to God's word!
