How will they know we are Christians by our love if His love has not flooded our own hearts? And how will His love flood our hearts if we do not drink it in? We drink when we are thirsty, long for cleansing when we are dirty, and for healing when we are sick. And if we are made aware of our own sin and the cost of our redemption, how will we not be broken? We will.
There is one way to move forward as a light in this dark world and that is this—we move forward from a place of brokenness, in hope, with our eyes fixed on Jesus. This life is for becoming, for being formed, for taking on, the likeness of Christ. This struggle, this tension, is not meant to be lifted, for His grace is sufficient.
Seculars say we move forward by believing we are enough, by placing the blame for pain outside of ourselves, that by loving ourselves we can love others; it’s a deception. The one who has been forgiven much loves much and it is the love that is evidence of the forgiveness we received. The powerful love of God flowing through us cannot be separated from our brokenness. Though we are being made whole, the context of our gratitude is the cost of our failure and God’s willingness to pay it.
If we believe our redemption was cheap do we really have it? The payment for all sin is the blood of God’s Son. There is no cheap redemption. The emptiness of self-esteem is becoming evident even to the world, but now will you trust another if you cannot trust yourself? Besides Christ every object of hope is a mirage.
—reh
Luke 7:44-47
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
John 13:35. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
1John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.
Romans 10:11 As Scripture says, "Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame."
No comments:
Post a Comment