To Be Loved

There is a thirst in every human heart to be loved.  No love in this life is able to fully satisfy.  Much of what we love cannot love us back.  If a man loves money, his money cannot love him in return.  The song you love to sing does not love you.  Careers end, fame diminishes, health fails, and the laughter stops, and all that remains is silenced by the grave.  My marriage vows included the phrase “Till death do us part,” an acknowledgement that even true love on earth has an end.   My love has limits of scope, intensity, and duration.  I am convinced there is nothing and no one in this world (without the love of God) who loves me with an enduring love – or even actively loves me at all.

God has revealed Himself as the only true source of everlasting love.  Love is one of the defining characteristics for God, for 1 John 4:7-8 says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”  God’s love is the only love which will endure forever, for it is everlasting even as God is (Jer. 31:2).  Once we are born again through faith in Jesus, having been made partakers of His love, we have His infinite capacity to love bestowed upon us.  We did not earn this love through our love of God, for He first loved us (1 John 4:19).  This love springs from His goodness and grace and not of our worthiness.

It struck me today that God is under no obligation to help, forgive, or save anyone.  In a society clamouring for social justice and equality, the Gospel can fall on hearts polluted by a sense of entitlement which asserts if God allows some people into heaven, He should allow all people into heaven because He is loving.  This is a denial of man’s wickedness and God’s grace.  God was not obligated by His love to save sinners, but He graciously chose to.  He could have retained His eternal love and for our crimes justly sent all to hell, even as a righteous judge who loves his son will see justice carried out upon him.  Unrighteous men show partiality to those they love, but God does not.

Jesus was more than innocent, for He was righteous.  Jesus – God made flesh - was willing to lay down His life on Calvary to save sinners.  Jesus did not deserve to die, and not one sinner deserves to be saved.  God first loved us, and with knowledge of His everlasting love and grace we are commanded to love Him back.  Nothing in this world can love us back, and God treasures as His children those who love Him.  Our love is demonstrated through obedience, even as Jesus demonstrated His love through sacrifice.  God’s love transcends life on earth, and only in loving God will we experienced His love forever.

Receiving God's Blessing

God has special blessings for those who obey Him.  God extends great blessings to all and obedience is a factor in our ability to recognise and receive them.  After God gave Moses commands concerning fabricating the articles of the tabernacle, all the people whose hearts God moved contributed the necessary materials.  Skilled workers were called by God to oversee the work, and when it was completed Moses blessed them.  Exodus 39:42-43 reads, "According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work. ⁴³  Then Moses looked over all the work, and indeed they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, just so they had done it. And Moses blessed them."  When we faithfully do God's work according to his commands, we are most blessed.

In airports, hotels, schools, churches and business - basically wherever people go - there eventually will be an accumulation of "lost property" which remains unclaimed.  For whatever reason, things were misplaced or forgotten and either reclaimed or disposed of.  I think blessings from God are much the same.  There are many blessings God has deemed the property of people who misplace them and cannot receive the benefits because they have ceased to do things God's way.  The blessing is in one place and the person is in another.  In obedience to God and submission to His will we find the convergence of God's people and blessings both received and enjoyed.  One great blessing from our gracious God is we may not know when we were separated from His blessings or where exactly we strayed off course, but in seeking Him in repentance we find all blessing at once and the restoration of our souls.

David wrote in Psalm 24:3-6:  "Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? ⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. ⁵ He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. ⁶ This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face. Selah"  Not one of us is worthy to stand in the presence of God and to receive a single blessing from Him.  Our hands are filthy, our hearts steeped in pride, and our mouths pour forth deceit.  How can these dry bones live?  How can this stony heart receive the rain?  Praise the LORD, for He has made a way for us to receive blessing by His grace through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.  He opens our blind eyes, strengthens our lame feet, and cleanses our souls of the leprosy of sin.  He raises us up from the dead, having washed us in the blood of Christ.  Those who humble themselves before God He will enable to stand and receive blessing and "righteousness from the God of his salvation."  Walking in obedience equips us to receive blessing from the LORD.

Let the Bible Speak

It is good when God sheds new light on a familiar passage of scripture.  Out of His bountiful supply of wisdom there are treasures old and new.  One of the most important aspects of rightly dividing scripture is a careful observation of a text.  It is easy to fall back immediately on our prior understanding of a verse, rush to commentary in a study Bible, or limit the interpretation and application to what is familiar.  Brothers and sisters, let us allow the Bible to speak!  As interesting as conjecture might be to us, the supernatural richness of scripture is supreme without our flavouring.

Sometimes conjecture by preachers or expositors can overwhelm plain meaning of the text.  A classic example is found in the scene where the woman caught in the act of adultery is brought to Jesus in the Temple.  It was not the woman but Jesus who the Pharisees desired to put on trial.  John 8:3-6 reads, "Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, ⁴ they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. ⁵ Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" ⁶ This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear."  The Pharisees on numerous occasions tried to put Jesus in situations so they might have an opportunity to accuse Him.  No matter how sophisticated or foolproof their designs, Jesus foiled them every time.

The scribes and Pharisees intended to trap Jesus:  either He would side with Moses and in stoning the woman would transgress Roman authority (so they could dob Him in), or He would have to oppose Moses and lose all credibility with the people.  Jesus wisely evaded the trap and simply stooped down and wrote on the ground.  What Jesus wrote has been widely wondered and subjected to great conjecture.  This could be one of the great MacGuffin moments in the Bible, where we are so intrigued by what Jesus could have been writing it distracts us from the point!  What Jesus wrote is of keen interest to the reader, though we are not told what or why Jesus wrote in the first place.  What I do know is the finger which wrote on the ground was the finger which carved the 10 Commandments into stone (Ex. 31:18), so whatever He wrote had a righteous purpose.

The scene continues in John 8:7-9:  "So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." ⁸ And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst."  Again, there is no shortage of conjecture concerning what Jesus wrote.  But the text makes it clear the conviction of the accusers was not due to what Jesus wrote, but because of what Jesus said.  It says, "Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one..."  I have also heard suggestions about why the oldest would leave before the youngest.  Again, that does not seem to be a primary point.  We could guess, but in the end it would remain conjecture.  What we do know is eventually all the accusers finally left, and the woman and Jesus remained together in the midst of many witnesses.

Just in case we were thrown off by the MacGuffin moment of Jesus writing on the ground, Jesus directs each of us to key points.  John 8:10-11 reads, "When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" ¹¹ She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."  Those who condemned the woman left, and Jesus did not condemn the woman - though He alone is without sin.  The case was closed because all charges had been dropped.  We are already condemned because of our sin, and Jesus came to deliver us from the penalty and power of sin.  Jesus said to her, "Go and sin no more."  Since the woman had been saved from death, she was not to continue living in darkness but to walk in the light.  God forbid Jesus would save us from sin and we would continue in it!

Wondering, meditating, and even conjecture have their rightful place as we observe and analyse the scriptures.  Let us ensure our own thoughts or the ideas of other men do not crowd out or infringe upon the plain text, for God knows what He has said according to His divine purposes.  Let the Bible speak!

Immune to Cynicism

All people have experiences which tempt us to be cynical towards others.  This word has been described as, "believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity."  People poisoned with cynicism are often jaded and bitter due to painful experiences associated with people they once trusted.  They have been hurt by people in the past, and therefore all people are under suspicion.  If we believe people are naturally good, their inability to achieve this standard will lead to disillusionment and the distrust of all.  Those who hold a biblical worldview, however, understand men are naturally self-serving and self-focused.  Even with this fundamental belief in place, the temptation to be cynical will arise.

Because church ministry involves people, this temptation is very real for all who serve in ministry.  It hurts when people are not entirely honest with you.  It hurts when you have been sincere in your concern and care for someone yet time reveals they had a self-serving interest.  It stings when fellowship is cut off because you have not met unrealistic expectations of others:  I have been too young, not enough like a famous and revered preacher, and didn't put enough emphasis on particular teachings.  After investing in the lives of others at great personal expense only to be trampled or cast aside, people can refuse to make provision for genuine friendship due to cynicism.  Psalm 116:10-11 records the words of the Psalmist, "I believed, therefore I spoke, "I am greatly afflicted." ¹¹ I said in my haste, "All men are liars."  In his affliction and pain the Psalmist was hasty in his negative view of others.  We have all been lied to, but that doesn't mean there isn't a man who speaks the truth.

For young pastors out there, I have a few words of advice:  instead of committing your heart to men, ensure your heart remains fully committed to God.  Our lives are steeped with discipling and training up people to follow Jesus Christ.  We see people through the limitless potential provided through transformation through faith in Jesus.  We start fantasising how God might use this person to do great works for the kingdom of God - and how they might slot into ministry.  As Paul advised, resist the urge to lay hands upon a man too quickly, without a clear assessment of character over time.  Though workers may be few, we are best served seeking the LORD in prayer, interceding on their behalf.  I have come to the conclusion my vision is poor and my dreams are pathetic in comparison to what God is able to accomplish.  Immigrating to Australia and being a pastor never entered into my mind, but God has been amazing and faithful continually.

Here is another thing I have learned:  a healthy church is more than just teaching.  Leaders are called to lead, and unless we have personal contact with people we are just talking.  God brings all sorts of people together with different backgrounds, beliefs, and doctrinal emphasis.  We must be willing to humbly work together united by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His love.  Instead of feeling threatened by differences, we can rejoice in our God who has sovereignly brought us together.  We all have areas in our lives of strengths and weaknesses, our passions and blind spots, with gifts and talents given by the Holy Spirit for us to edify each other in the Church.  As we submit to Christ and one another in love, we can be effective in following Jesus and encouraging others to do likewise.  Iron sharpening iron cannot occur without a degree of friction.  Whether we walk in love or the flesh dictates if we are either being sharpened or blunted.

It's always exciting when visitors come to a small church.  It helps us to be loving and hospitable (not cynical!) when we realise people come to our church for a reason, even as people usually leave a church for a reason.  It may be tempting to try to accommodate requests or demands of new people so they might stay, but you will never be able to sustain this effort.  People have left our church because there weren't enough children the same age as theirs.  Guess what?  They went to another church where there were more children the same age.  I am glad God has placed diverse groups of people who gather in Christ's names so needs can be met.  In a church there may be a million and one reasons people choose to go there, but the more people who are primarily in fellowship because of unity through the Gospel, the better we will minister to the LORD and one another.  So if more people start coming to your church, pastor, don't imagine it has anything to do with you.  Praise the LORD it isn't about me or anyone else other than Jesus Christ.

Jesus never was cynical because He did not commit His heart to men.  I believe Jesus was a great friend, and there was nothing standoffish about Him.  He loved completely without being dependant on others for approval or to feel better about Himself.  He didn't commit to men, for He was already committed to doing the will of the Father.  He lived to please God; He did not seek to please or impress men, for He knew what was in men (John 2:24-25).  He knew many people really only cared to be healed, fed, and be amazed by miracles.  They were into following Jesus around for themselves - not for Jesus.  Nothing about men has changed.  We become cynical when we are looking for reciprocation from men and our expectations are unmet.  Jesus was the servant of all and immune to cynicism because His eyes were fixed on the Father, and He truly loved people without demanding for Himself.  We can only be "taken advantage of" when we feel were are not receiving our just due.  May the LORD purge all His followers of cynicism which easily weighs us down and keeps us from fostering relationships He has graciously provided.