I thought that since it’s Valentine’s Day, I’d post a little portion of what has been going on within me lately regarding my love for my Father. The truth is, I don’t love Him enough. There! I just laid it all out, the ugly root of the matter. If I loved Him as I should, I would not hesitate to boldly share all that He has done for me. I would not struggle to express my great love for Him if I truly saw and understood the great depths of how I have been loved. I, friends, do not love my Father enough.
Oh, now I love Him, don’t get me wrong. What He has done for me cannot be put into words, nor ignored. I daily choose to express my love for Him. I surrender areas of my life to Him, seeking to live a life of sacrificial love. The fact is though, I don’t surrender ALL. No, I’m not going to start singing the hymn made famous by Baptist altar call’s, but is that not the issue? I do not surrender ALL. And all is what He desires! Jesus loves us with an “agape” love. It’s defined as an unselfish love, to the point of sacrifice. He gave His all for me – how can I do anything less in return?
God is a passionate Lover. He created us to know Him, to love Him, to love His Son. Jesus is a Lover - you could say that it’s His profession! Intimacy is His goal and nothing less will do. He is patient, as any lover would be – willing to wait and pursue the apple of His eye. That prize, that “bride” is you and me. If you’re married, or even in a serious relationship, pause and remember the great lengths that you went to, to “win” over your lover. Did you do outlandishly crazy things to prove your affections? I did. My goal was to lavish my love upon my wife in order for her to get a clear picture of how real it was. Likewise, God lavishes His love upon us, each and every moment, with each breath that we take, a repetitious gift from Him that cycles throughout our entire lives. How ignorant of us to avoid or ignore His advances!
Jesus is longing for intimacy with His creation. He has eyes for no other. It took me a while to grasp the depth of this truth. One reason being it just seemed wrong in some way to see Jesus in an understanding of “intimacy”. So much parallels the natural. After all, where do we think earthly passion originated? Often, like a worn out, tired and bored lover, we tell Jesus, “Not now, I’m not in the mood” . Of course, we must remove the sexual aspect, to a point, but is that not the exemplary example of unity, passion and intimacy? In that moment, all secrets, all inhibitions are released and the depths of true love are expressed. The problem is, we have such a distorted view of sexual intimacy in the natural, that it’s altered our understanding of spiritual intimacy with our Lord. We must correct our vision and see this union through heavenly eyes.
“He first loved me”. Isn’t it always easier to generate affections for someone who first shows love towards you? When this takes place, it causes you to consider them through different eyes. Even if it’s just a fleeting moment, you likely stop and at least THINK about what a relationship with them might look like. On the flip side, nothing is worse than having a deep love for someone that has no love for you whatsoever in return. God is longing for us to grasp the depths of His unfathomable love! When the sun rises each morning upon your home and you rise out of your bed, He is there. He greets you with a smile and says, “I love you child. You are My creation, fashioned to know My love and to reciprocate that love.”
I have no choice but to be a lover! I was created by a loving God to love. First and foremost to love Him. Secondly, to love my neighbors, my brothers and sisters, my enemies. I am commanded to love. So this Valentine’s Day, I will love my wife. I will express to her that I value her and love her with all of my heart. But much more importantly, I will express my love to my Father, to my Saviour, for He loved me first and is deserving of all of that I am.
Oh, now I love Him, don’t get me wrong. What He has done for me cannot be put into words, nor ignored. I daily choose to express my love for Him. I surrender areas of my life to Him, seeking to live a life of sacrificial love. The fact is though, I don’t surrender ALL. No, I’m not going to start singing the hymn made famous by Baptist altar call’s, but is that not the issue? I do not surrender ALL. And all is what He desires! Jesus loves us with an “agape” love. It’s defined as an unselfish love, to the point of sacrifice. He gave His all for me – how can I do anything less in return?
God is a passionate Lover. He created us to know Him, to love Him, to love His Son. Jesus is a Lover - you could say that it’s His profession! Intimacy is His goal and nothing less will do. He is patient, as any lover would be – willing to wait and pursue the apple of His eye. That prize, that “bride” is you and me. If you’re married, or even in a serious relationship, pause and remember the great lengths that you went to, to “win” over your lover. Did you do outlandishly crazy things to prove your affections? I did. My goal was to lavish my love upon my wife in order for her to get a clear picture of how real it was. Likewise, God lavishes His love upon us, each and every moment, with each breath that we take, a repetitious gift from Him that cycles throughout our entire lives. How ignorant of us to avoid or ignore His advances!
Jesus is longing for intimacy with His creation. He has eyes for no other. It took me a while to grasp the depth of this truth. One reason being it just seemed wrong in some way to see Jesus in an understanding of “intimacy”. So much parallels the natural. After all, where do we think earthly passion originated? Often, like a worn out, tired and bored lover, we tell Jesus, “Not now, I’m not in the mood” . Of course, we must remove the sexual aspect, to a point, but is that not the exemplary example of unity, passion and intimacy? In that moment, all secrets, all inhibitions are released and the depths of true love are expressed. The problem is, we have such a distorted view of sexual intimacy in the natural, that it’s altered our understanding of spiritual intimacy with our Lord. We must correct our vision and see this union through heavenly eyes.
“He first loved me”. Isn’t it always easier to generate affections for someone who first shows love towards you? When this takes place, it causes you to consider them through different eyes. Even if it’s just a fleeting moment, you likely stop and at least THINK about what a relationship with them might look like. On the flip side, nothing is worse than having a deep love for someone that has no love for you whatsoever in return. God is longing for us to grasp the depths of His unfathomable love! When the sun rises each morning upon your home and you rise out of your bed, He is there. He greets you with a smile and says, “I love you child. You are My creation, fashioned to know My love and to reciprocate that love.”
I have no choice but to be a lover! I was created by a loving God to love. First and foremost to love Him. Secondly, to love my neighbors, my brothers and sisters, my enemies. I am commanded to love. So this Valentine’s Day, I will love my wife. I will express to her that I value her and love her with all of my heart. But much more importantly, I will express my love to my Father, to my Saviour, for He loved me first and is deserving of all of that I am.
2 comments:
Hey Bro,
This is truly a great post! Thanks you so much for writing this. This is really true for me too. I had some other questions I wanted to ask you, I'll shoot them to you in a bit. Thanks again and praise GOD!!!
Casey: Thanks for posting! Please feel free to email me at desh412[at]yahoo[dot]com with your questions.
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