Love is complicated. I'm working through some stuff to prep for a book on the idea of Christian Love with a buddy of mine.
But love is no easy concept to grasp. If the love Christians have for one another is supposed to be reflective of the love God has for us, then, my friends, we are doing a very poor job.
We have acted with our society's understanding of love. Love is simply an emotion; and love - through often referred to as unconditional - is fleeting.
But God's love is different. True love is different. It is about sacrifice. It is about the beloved, not the lover.
If you want to see a movie about love, don't watch The Notebook, watch the Passion of the Christ.
The idea of the suffering servant is prominent in Hebrew Prophetic literature. But few saw the Messiah of God as the prophet who suffers as well. The Messiah was supposed to be a kingly figure who would overthrow the oppressors of the Israelites and set up a kingdom on this earth that will be in complete accordance with the will of YHWH.
But this was not to be so. Instead the Messiah preached a different kingdom - one that required love. And since love is sacrifice, it meant pain on his part - because love is not about the lover but the beloved.
A hot afternoon in the Near East was a day that would change the course of humanity forever. So many went about their daily business without the slightest inclination of the significance the day would hold. Because the Messiah understood true love, and acted on it. The Messiah embraced his call.
Should we not do the same?
About Me
- cruz-control
- I am a Worship and Arts Pastor and a student at Baylor University. What I say on this blog does not in any way, shape, or form reflect the official views of my church of employment, although it probably should as I am usually right. If you wish to enter into a discussion on this blog, please do so in the comments section of each post, keeping in mind an attitude of humility and respect.
1 comment:
the best quote i heard was from my fav prof and he said "love isnt a feeling its something you do" isnt it so true? even when we think about that passage from 1 corinthians 13, of which i thin max lucado has a good book about it, that when you can put "I am patient" and so on and so forth and its not true, but you can put "God is..." and how true it really is. im sure i have more to say but you'll have to talk with me about that :-P oh and i had something else for you about what we talked about the other day, i just cant remember, i think it had to do with David.
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