The Eternal Gift

...we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. ~II Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

As I closed the book, my mind pondered what I had read. It was a novel, fiction, but I was touched by several ideas contained within those pages. One particular portion impacted me. A main character was talking of his mother's struggle with ALS and his father's care of her.
He said:
       
"My mother's almost completely paralyzed now. She can no longer speak or write. The only thing she can move is the forefinger of her right hand. At night she taps her finger against the bedpost when she hurts. My father wakes up and gives her her pain medicine. He hasn't slept through the night for years...He's given up everything for what he loves most. Her.
       
...I asked him how he did it, how he could give up so much for her. What he said taught me more about God and Jesus than a thousand sermons ever could...He said love is stronger than pain." (1)

"Love is stronger than pain." (1) There are layers and layers of meaning held within such an idea, such a truth. I'm sure I have barely scratched the surface in my understanding of these powerful words -- but one thing I can say for certain: When Jesus gave His life for the sins of humanity, He did so completely comprehending the beautiful supremacy of love over pain.

Because of His love for God, because of His love for us, Christ took upon Himself the pain of sin and the brief separation from His Father that such sin ensued. He had never known separation from His Father, but He was willing to go to that point of pain and lack that we might know sweet union and precious communion with God.

With Christ's death, the sting of death was removed, the potency of pain was neutralized; for all who believe on Him, death has been swallowed up in victory. (I Corinthians 15:54)

Christ's love took Him to the deepest, greatest pain - separation from His Father. But His death ensured that such separation would never again be necessary, not only for Him, but for all who believe on Him. Once we are in Christ, nothing can separate us from God's love.

Because of Christ's great love for us, neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God... (Romans 8:38-39)

When Christ was born of a virgin, when God became man to dwell among men, this is the gift that He came to give. This is the true Gift of Christmas: birth that provided a sacrifice, death that enabled union, separation that eliminated separation.

In light of such a Gift, the suffering and pain of this life is put into perspective. Oh yes, I see why we are encouraged to not lose heart. Outwardly we are wasting away, but because of Christ's love, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. Our troubles truly are light and momentary in comparison to what we have been given and what this Gift is producing for us, in us. The struggles, losses, disappointments and frustrations of this life are temporary, but the Great Unseen -- what we can never be separated from -- is Eternal. (II Corinthians 4:16-18)

Shepherds, told of Jesus' birth by an angel, rushed to glimpse the God-babe. (Luke 2:8-20) 
A star in the east compelled the Magi to come and see the God-child. (Matthew 2:1-12) 
As they looked into the face of the Eternal, time and space clashed -- their eyes saw past the temporal, and they worshiped.  They worshiped the Eternal.

What will we do with this Gift we have been given? Will we allow the eyes of our heart to see the wonders of the Eternal or will we hold to visions of the temporary? Will we worship the One who gave everything for what He loved most? He beckons us to follow His example and depend on His provision that we may see past the pain of this life.

Every day that we focus on the Eternal, every minute that we live for the Unseen, we celebrate the true Gift of Christmas -- and the Gift that can never be stolen, broken or destroyed, the Eternal Gift, reigns supreme in our hearts.

This Christmas -- and every day -- may our hearts and minds be captured with the Eternal,



(1) Evans, Richard Paul, The Sunflower.

Conformed to Transformed: Christ-minded on Love

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ~Romans 5:8 (NIV)

There is a lot of pain and hurt in this life, but, in Christ, that pain and hurt need not be our resting place.  Sometimes in the midst of pain, struggle and hurt, it is hard to keep sight of the fact that we are dearly loved by God.  So often, the struggles that touch our lives do not feel marked by love, and yet God showed us how deeply He loved us by sending His Son to die for us -- though we were sinners.  Holy God sent His Son into the pit of sin that we might be pulled out of its depths.

Just as this Holy God was willing to send His Son into the pit of sin that we might be saved, this same God is willing to allow struggle and pain that we might learn to rest in His Son and be renewed from within.  He does not delight in our affliction, but He does delight in our transformation.  "He will not keep back even the most painful chastisement if He can but thereby guide His beloved child to come home and abide in the beloved Son." (Andrew Murray, Abide in Christ).  Transformation is that significant, that important, that necessary and that freeing.  Do we believe in a Love that will go to any means to make us more like His Son?

No matter what touches my day, everything boils down to this: do I believe that God is a good Shepherd and Overseer of my soul?  Do I trust that He knows my needs better than I do and that He will do exactly what is needed?

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It is so easy to look at our situation, to sit in our hurt, and believe what we feel instead of the truth of God's words.  Those flesh-minded thoughts taunt and taunt, but we must persevere and seek God's help to keep our mind stayed on Him.

Flesh-minded Thought:
My life is filled with struggle and pain, God must not truly love me.

Christ-minded Thought:
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you. ~Isaiah  54:10 (NIV)

Flesh-minded Thought:
This hurts too much to be of God; a loving God would never allow me to hurt like this.

Christ-minded Thought(s):
The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. ~Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

True Christian joy is the heart's harmonious response to the Lord's song of love. ~A. W. Tozer

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us. ~I John 4:18-19 (NIV)

Fear is a result of being subject to someone who rejoices in evil and does not desire our good. If we are living in such fear, then we do not understand the depth of God's love for us. A Love that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. A Love that does not make us bend to His will, but is permissive in allowing man free will. A Love that has good plans for His children and desires to bring them a hope and a future. ~CDS

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Rest has overtaken my heart through understanding that God never leaves a single detail dangling.  I know that sometimes it seems that He is working in another time zone (I guess in a sense He is - He works outside of time), but there is a peace that comes in realizing that time has no hold on Him -- our deadlines mean nothing -- His work will always be done in the very best way at the perfect point of purpose without a single detail dangling!  The only thing that God ever waits on, in relation to our personal destinies, is us -- He is always waiting to give us more of Himself, to bring fulfillment to our lives -- we can take comfort in the truth that He waits on us; He longs for us: He will keep hoping, keep persevering, keep enduring...because that is what Love does. (I Corinthians 13:4-8)



Praise the LORD, for he has shown me his unfailing love... (Psalm 31:21, NLT)

Vast Is His Love

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son...He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed...It was about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last...Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices so that they might go to annoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen. He is not here."...God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him...And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever...For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him...Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. (Isaiah 53:3-5, Luke 23:44-46, Mark 16:1-8, Acts 2:24, Isaiah 9:6b-7, John 3:16-17, Isaiah 12:5)

How vast the depth and richness of this Love! This Love went to the edge, to the very extreme, that I could know Him. To save me, Love was willing to pay the ultimate price. What alteration Love experienced that I might know true change; what loss He endured that I might become a partaker of His inheritance! Words are insufficient, none are lovely or worthy enough to describe such a Love. I am enraptured by this Love. O, Love, that will not let me go, my cup runneth over~

Now That's Love, Part II

If it is true that God can only act in love, then there would be no suffering, no evil, no condemnation, right?

No - suffering, evil and condemnation resulted because man did not love God not because God did not love man. Though God gave the first man and woman everything they could have wanted, they still wanted more. They wanted to be the Creator instead of the created. It was an impossible desire, but the allure of choice inflated man with the illusion of power and control.....for if they could break free of the boundary perhaps they could become their own master. The possibility of power was more appealing than relationship with the all-powerful Creator. But what they did not understand is that they were made for relationship with the Creator. When they chose to break free of the boundary, they lost a part of their identity and gained a burden that they were never intended to carry: the burden of being separated from Love and all of the decay that comes with such a separation.

God desired to keep them from ever knowing such decay, that is why He set the boundary. Yet it was God's love, as well as His desire to offer authentic relationship, that enabled them the option of overstepping the boundary. Authentic relationship always carries with it the possibility of rejection.

The hardest aspect for me to understand is God's desire for relationship with a created being when He has perfect relationship within the Trinity...He did not need relationship with man, He wanted relationship with man. He wanted to give life to a creation in His own image, a creation that could feel, think and express, because He wanted to bless that creation.

A Love without selfish intent is very hard to comprehend. You may feel that in creating us God showed selfishness - Didn't He create us for Himself? No, He created us to bless us with Himself, to share Himself with us. He wanted us to experience the perfect relationship that He shares within the Trinity. He is everything good. He is perfect love. To give perfect goodness and perfect love to someone else is not selfishness, it is an act of unnecessary kindness. We were created so that we could know Love -- and Love felt that sharing Love was worth the rejection -- now that's Love!

Now That's Love, Part I

There are many thoughts from C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity which produce deep thought in me. In fact, often it seems that some of the deepest meditation in me is sparked by Lewis' most simple thoughts. A plethora of ideas formed within me as a result of the following quote by Lewis: "The reason why I hated the things (cowardice, conceit, greed - my bad actions) was that I loved the man". With these words, Lewis was explaining that his love for himself was not evidenced when he liked all of his actions, rather it was in the dislike of his ugly actions that his love for himself was shown. By wanting his life to produce good fruit he is showing that he wants the best for himself. Wanting the best for himself shows that he loves himself.

The constant standard for love is a desire for truth. To love myself means that I desire my life to be built on truth. Likewise, to love others means that I desire their lives to be grounded in truth. As I Corinthians 13:6 says, Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth. This is the love that God shows for all of sinful mankind. In Matthew 9:13, Jesus says that He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Would he call those that He did not love? Would God make a way of restoration if He did not love man? No, His love was relayed when while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God's love is shown in that He desires the very best for every sinner. He does not delight in evil, He knows that evil is the path of destruction. Not wanting any to perish, but longing for all to come to repentance, God's heart is for every man to avoid the path of destruction. Such a desire shows His love for the sinner. But His love is not only shown by His good desire and plan, it is also shown by the allowance that He has given to man. Before the foundation of the world, God created the possibility of choosing relationship with Him or of choosing our own way. This very act of allowance is marked by love. Love says to His created, "I love you too much to make you love Me." God has made an allowance of free choice: He will not make the sinner choose Him. If God made the sinner choose Him, then He would not be loving the sinner; without free choice, the sinner would never experience Love. Those who have chosen Him love Him because He first loved them.

There will be those who do not choose Him. Even though He loves them and made a way for them to know His love, they will not come to recongnize this Love. This will happen because they do not understand that the offer of choice flows from Love. They think that since there is choice then obviously there is something good which God wants to keep from them, some pleasure or power that He does not want them to enjoy. These are their thoughts because they are looking at God through the lens of their own sinful heart and motives. They completely misunderstand a Love that has the power to create them, as well as the power to make them choose Him, and yet does not exercise the latter power.

If they had such power they would exercise it. They would make their creation submit to their every whim. Since God does not do this, He must not be very powerful, actually He must be trying to keep His creation from knowing His weaknesses -what other reason could there be for Him to allow choice? Wouldn't He only allow a choice if He had no choice? I guess in a sense, because He cannot deny Himself, He had no choice: since He is Love, He can only act in love.

Part II will soon follow....