The Love of God

It is delightful when an intended insult is a blessing instead.  A memorable parting shot is when I was told, "You know, there's more to Christianity than love!"  This critique was offered because God's love was viewed to be an unnecessarily pervasive theme in my teaching at church.  Instead of feeling defensive, it was music to my ears and a testimony of God's grace and faithfulness because I know love is not of me.  I had been upbraided before for being "too black and white" and insensitive with my remarks, but this was something new:  the LORD had been doing a work in my heart and changing the way I thought.  Rejoice with me friends:  God can change a hardened, self-righteous Pharisee to the point love becomes so prominent a theme it bears mention by others.

It is true there is more to Christianity than love, but looking from another angle reveals there cannot be Christianity without love.  God's love is foundational in providing for our salvation, to govern all aspects of our lives, the primary fruit of the spirit, and a defining characteristic of God's character.  The new commandment Jesus gave to His disciples was to love one another as He loved them.  Paul wrote in Romans 13:8-10:  "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹ For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."  Jesus did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill.  God's active, sacrificial love is a main theme of scripture and demonstrated by Christ by dying for sinners.

In his epistle John wrote in 1 John 4:7-13:  "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. 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. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. ¹³ By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit."  Through faith in Christ a believer is indwelt with the Holy Spirit who enables us to love God and others.  Walking in God's love is a convergence of freedom and joyful duty in response to the love of God we have freely received.

God's love is perfected or fulfilled in us when we love one another.  His strength is made perfect in our weakness.  When we walk in love towards one another it proves God has empowered and enabled us to do what we cannot do ourselves.  The love of God was manifested to us through Jesus Christ, and the love of Jesus is then expressed through us by the Holy Spirit.  The love of God is not discovered at some lofty peak of divine revelation where angels fear to tread but in humility, brokenness, and weakness where Jesus finds us hungry and thirsty for Him.  I have not arrived; I have not attained.  But I rejoice in the miraculous work God has done in demonstrating His love for me and enabling me to value and proclaim His love more than before.  May the love of God be perfected in all who believe that the world may also know God's love and that we are in Him.

We the People

In Mr. Kennedy's year 8 class, we were made to memorise the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States (with the assistance of School House Rock):  "We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America."  The Constitution was signed by 56 delegates who represented the 13 colonies to declare their independence from British rule and was a united effort to join together as one nation under God.

The eyes of the world are watching the events unfold in the United States with interest.  Some might be like the school children who shout "Fight!" and gather around the scuffle with their phones out, keen for a spectacle  Others, like myself, are deeply saddened and grieved over the violence, vitriol, looting, and wounds which appear incurable.  In my expat eyes it seems instead of united as "we the people" the States has increasingly grown to be an "us" and "them" mentality.  Great cracks have appeared in the pillars of the fear of God, love of others and respect for God's authority which undergird healthy society.  Confidence in man is a snare, but with God there is always hope and deliverance when people turn to Him.

In light of devastation those who fear God in scripture consistently presented their needs before God with repentance.  Righteous men like Nehemiah and Daniel included themselves as sinners when they interceded on behalf of their nation.  It is as John wrote in 1 John 1:10:  "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."  It does us no good to confess the sins of others unless we are willing to include ourselves:  we have sinned against God, we have abused authority, we have oppressed and hated, we have stolen and cursed.  We have committed anarchy and treason in our rage against God.  At the revelation the gates of Jerusalem were burned with fire and the wall was broken down Nehemiah fasted and prayed to God in Nehemiah 1:5-6:  "I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, ⁶ please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father's house and I have sinned."

Nehemiah prayed 70 years on, "We have sinned, and I have sinned."  The prayer of repentance is not one of "us" and "them" but "we" and "I."  Unless we will own sin ourselves at least being equally guilty--and perhaps even more corrupt in our hearts and motives than the chief of sinners--our prayers may be sinful and hypocritical.  In Luke 18 Jesus spoke of a Pharisee who thanked God he was not like other men who were sinners, and smugly compared himself with a tax collector he despised.  The tax collector would not so much as lift his eyes to heaven in acknowledgement of his sinfulness and said, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!"  Jesus said the humble tax collector who was broken for his own sin went home justified.

Are you furious at the sight of a detained citizen being kneeled on by law enforcement?  Are you grieved to see people resort to violence and looting?  Do you feel compassion towards those who are injured in a demonstration or peace officers following orders who have been attacked?  How are you directing those emotions and thoughts?  Bringing our brokenness to God through prayer and fasting is not a cop-out, and it is not the only thing to do.  If we desire God's intervention and action it is vital we come to a place of humble personal ownership of sin and pray as Daniel did in Daniel 9:4-10:  "And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, ⁵ we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments."  We the people have sinned and rebelled by departing from God.

We have sinned; we are to blame.  We find ourselves in great distress and trouble like a woman in labour unable to give birth.  Have mercy upon us, O LORD, for there is no balm for our wounds, no end of the violence, brutality, and hatred.  We have sinned and are brought very low.  I am reminded of God's words to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:12-16 after the dedication of the temple:  "Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. ¹³ When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, ¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ¹⁵ Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. ¹⁶ For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually."  There stands no temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem today, but God remains true to His Word:  by grace He has made those who trust in Jesus the Temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.  God is attentive to the prayers of His people, and when we humble ourselves and pray and seek God's face He will hear and answer.  His eyes and His heart will be with us perpetually, even when we have sinned.

The Unjust Claim

"To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One. ²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing."

Isaiah 40:25-26

Nothing in creation is equal to God and even comparisons fall woefully short.  He is a sovereign King with infinitely more power and majesty of an everlasting kingdom; He is a just Judge who is righteous in Himself and weighs the thoughts and intents of men.  Dualism is a philosophy which puts forth opposites as complimentary, yet God stands alone without counterpart.  By His wisdom and power God fashioned all things and all are subject to His rule.  The single star in our solar system (the sun!) is too distant to reach and would consume any who drew near.  God told His people to turn their eyes to the heavens to distant stars and reminded them He calls them all by name.

On the heels of saying this God asked in Isaiah 40:27-29:  "Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my just claim is passed over by my God"? ²⁸ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. ²⁹ He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength."  God called out His people for their notion or assumption God was unaware of the injustice they suffered.  Because their troubles seemed to be perpetual they foolishly blamed God for inaction or ignoring their plight--when this was absolutely false.  Documents and evidence used in courts can be lost and manipulated yet God has complete knowledge of the facts and the righteous ruling He will make.

God asked ignorant people:  "Have you not known?  Have you not heard?"  As human beings we are dependent on our senses, reports, eyewitness accounts, stories, and media to learn of events which have transpired in other nations, cities, streets, and houses.  In fact, there are things which happen in our own house concerning our own family or a spouse we have never heard before!  There is a lot we haven't known or heard, and the God who knows all introduces Himself to us again.  The God who created the stars spoke to people who could see about 5,000 of the visible stars around our globe but He knew each of the billions of stars He created they could not see.  It is estimated there are plus or minus 150 to 250 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy alone, and the reason why the estimated numbers have a 100 billion range is because (aside from God!) no one knows how many there actually are.  An avid astronomer could spend their entire life charting and counting and never reach the end, yet God knows their number at any given time.

Our God does not just know but He also does.  God gives power to the weak and increases the strength of those who have no might.  He does not grow faint or weary, and God's understanding is beyond reckoning.  Jesus taught in Matthew 6:26-30, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁸ So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹  and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"  Faith in God looks beyond the birds, flowers, grass, and the stars and looks upon God with awe and wonder.  He knows us and our unworthiness yet shows grace to regard us.  The universe is God's throne and the earth His footstool and yet He cares if we are clothed and fed.  He will see to it justice concerning your case will be done on the earth in His time and in His glorious way.

If you feel your just claim has been passed over by your God, realise He is doing more than you can imagine.  When the Spirit of God passed over Egypt before the exodus, He slew the firstborn of the households that did not place the blood of the lamb on the posts and lintel and delivered those appointed to die by His grace.  God did not spare His own Son Jesus Christ but sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins so atonement could be provided and we could be justly forgiven.  He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and thus we can trust our just claim will not be passed over and forgotten by Him.  Those looking for justice in the "justice system" will not experience justice on the level God is faithful to provide in due time.  To judge God negligent is an unjust claim.  We faint and are weary but God gives power to the weak and increases our strength.  Let us look to Him today with joyous trust.

The Longsuffering of our LORD is Salvation

The world for some time has been operating under the illusion that lasting peace is just beyond our grasp.  The generation which saw the end of the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin wall, and sang along with "We Are the World" had bright hopes for the future.  The self-esteem movement, the tackling of social issues like illiteracy, world hunger, poverty, and campaigns to promote safe-sex, end racism, bullying, drug abuse, human trafficking, and domestic violence worked to make a difference.  In light of the ongoing riots and looting in the United States, from a humanist perspective it seems the hope of a brighter future is in grave doubt.

The protests, riots, and looting show a greater and enduring cure is needed for the ills of hearts of men.  As awful as violence and destruction is it can be compared to a sore throat and fever that finally moves a person to seek medical aid.  I pray this is a moment when despairing people turn to God instead of on each other.  Whether or not a protest is "peaceful" or turns violent the same murder can fester unresolved in the hearts of men.  If the hope in protesting is to be heard by men or to change circumstances for your benefit, I believe such faith is misplaced.  It is better to seek the LORD, cast our cares upon Him, and follow His leading to love one another as Jesus loves us.  God can enact miraculous changes in the hearts and minds of people videos, signs, and slogans cannot.

Today I read 2 Peter 3 where Peter explains how God's judgment will ultimately come swiftly and be complete:  the world and all the works in it will be consumed with fire.  2 Peter 3:11-15 reads, "Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, ¹² looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? ¹³ Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. ¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; ¹⁵ and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation..."  The hope and home for followers of Jesus Christ is with Him in the new heavens and a new earth created by Him where we will dwell together for eternity.  Those who actually experience a revolution will require another one at some point until this world is unmade by Him who created it.

Since Jesus is our Righteousness and our Peace, we ought to be "diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless."  The standard we follow is greater than that of Law but according to the righteousness of God and obedience to Him.  As much as depends upon us we are called to live peaceably with our fellow man whether chatting anonymously online or in person on the street.  We ought to obey the authorities as unto the LORD because we trust Him without taking matters into our own hands.  When the violence of citizens becomes too much for local law enforcement the government can declare martial law and bring in the military to restore order.  God could have justly done this a very long time ago but He is longsuffering and desires to save.  The longer He waits the more He saves.  Praise the LORD He has shown great restraint and love towards those who rebel against Him, and let us resolve to be diligent to be found by Him in peace and blameless toward God and man.