Lovers, the true, authentic kind,
are givers, not just takers. But "love" can prove to be a flimsy and
false thing, concerned only with what it can get. Consider the case of Paul and
Liz. Paul was married to Liz for years. Then Liz began to ignore him, and for
days did not speak to him. Paul eventually confronted her with what he
perceived as the problem. "Come on Liz," he ranted. Just come clean
and admit it. You only married me because my grandfather left me $6 million,
didn’t you?" Liz shot him a hurt look and then retorted, "Don’t be
silly, Paul. I couldn’t care less who left it to you." Our world is
confused about what real love is. People say they love everything from a
chocolate bar to basketball to a cell phone to a pair of jeans to Jesus. How
can you know real love when you see it? Don’t count on the the music and the
movies. They occasionally get it right, but far more often their songs and
movies are more about true lust than true love. So again, how can we know what
real, authentic love is? Here’s the simple, straight, unadorned truth. The
Bible describes the highest and purest kind of love mankind has ever seen – the
love God has for people. Even for people who are unlovely and unlovable. The
following words convey a heart-stopping, mind-bending message, even if the
world is largely deaf to it. Romans 5:6-8 describes the incredible way
God expressed His love –
"For when we were still without strength, in
due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one
die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us."
The cross of Christ provides the most compelling and powerful proof in the
history of mankind that God loves us. The New Revised Standard Version says God
"proved" His love at the cross. The cross
provides a real-life demonstration what real love is. "By this we know love, because He
laid down His life for us" (1 John 3:16a).
These Bible passages cause me to remember some sticky words I heard Irish
preacher Jim McGuiggan preach many years ago. His text was 1 Timothy 1:15
– "This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners, of whom I am chief."
As McGuiggan began the sermon he said, "The greatest story ever told does
not begin, ‘Once upon a time.’ It begins, ‘One upon a tree.’ " I call
those words "sticky" because they stuck in my heart and soul. The
cross is God’s Hallmark card. Remember their slogan? "Hallmark – when you
care enough to send the very best." That’s what God did at the cross where
Christ died. He gave the very best He had to give – His only begotten Son,
Jesus Christ (see John 3:16). While the world demonstrated
hatred and spite, and after they had beaten Him and mocked Him and spit on Him,
they nailed Him on a Roman cross. Paul said He died there "for us." He went on to say in Romans
5:9-11 that by doing so Jesus made it possible for us to be justified,
saved, and reconciled to God. Billions of words, including these, have
attempted to explain all that. But as to why it happened, the Bible is clear –
God loves us. The cross demonstrated what real love is like. The world – and
the church – needs more of that kind of love. Think about it.
Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN
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