Extravagant Love

In John 3:16 we have one of the most well known verses in all the Scriptures: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (KJV), but if you had to describe the extravagance of this love, how would you do it? Adam Clarke, in his commentary on the Bible, says of this verse, "Such a love as that which induced God to give his only begotten son to die for the world could not be described: Jesus Christ does not attempt it. He has put an eternity of meaning in the particle 'so', and left a subject for everlasting contemplation, wonder, and praise, to angels and to men."

French poet and statesman Victor Hugo once said, "The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved - loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves." However, I don't believe it stops there. Not only do we want to be loved but, generally speaking, it is a part of human nature to want to know how much we are loved. As individuals, it is important to our sense of self. Even as you read this, perhaps you are smiling at the remembrance of the last time someone you love spoke from the heart and told you how much you meant to them. Do you remember how it made you feel? After all, as many people can attest, To be loved and not told how much often leaves a nagging and uncomfortable feeling.

But even as we contemplate the love of God, when we think of how much He loved us - and continue to love us - we need look no further than the cross. There on display, is the magnificent if bloody proof. Of the three crosses on Calvary that day, the one in the middle forever stood alone in its significance and what it represented - the greatest manifestation of love the world has ever seen and would ever see. In trying to put it all into words, hymn writer Frederick M. Lehman wrote, "The love of God is greater far / Than tongue or pen can ever tell / It goes beyond the highest star / And reaches to the lowest hell" (1917). It is no wonder the apostle himself, though evidently filled with God, and walking in the fullness of his light, does not attempt to describe it; but calls on the world and the Church to behold it, to look upon it, to contemplate it, and wonder at it when he states, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1 John 3:2).

I love the final stanza of Lehman's "The Love of God" as it rises to a rousing conclusion: "Could we with ink the ocean fill / And were the skies of parchment made / Were every stalk on earth a quill / And every man a scribe by trade / To write the love of God above / Would drain the ocean dry / Nor could the scroll contain the whole / Though stretched from sky to sky." And then the chorus, "Oh, love of God, how rich and pure! / How measureless and strong! / It shall forevermore endure / The saints’ and angels’ song."

That God loves the world is certain because there is no greater love than that which He displayed (John 15:13). However, have YOU personally experienced the true measure of his extravagant love for you?

Going Beyond Race

She must have made the same trip several hundred times. Walking out of Sychar in Samaria to Jacob's well to fetch water, the task of women back in those days. A man standing by the well and striking up a conversation with her wouldn't be that unusual. The Jews held that those who wished to get wives went to the wells where young women were accustomed to come and draw water, and it was not unusual for women of ill-repute to frequent there as well. However, this man was a Jew and she was a Samaritan and this made the tension even more dynamic because as she herself asked, "How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9, KJV). The Jew replied, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water" (v. 10).

There is a lot more to the narrative of course. John goes on to detail the conversation between the two and the woman's subsequent recognition and testimony of Jesus as a prophet. However, of importance is the crossing of the racial divide. To the Jews, the Samaritans were like poison. They avoided them so much so that they refused to walk through the country. A Jew would not be caught dead talking to a Samaritan. The situation was of such that Jesus, knowing how vociferously the disciples would have objected to the situation, had sent them away to buy meat (v.8) so He could minister to the woman. What Jesus knew, and the disciples hadn't yet recognized, was that the message of the good news was for everybody regardless of race or creed. The Jews worshipped in Jerusalem and the Samaritans at Mount Gerizim, but Jesus had come to break down those walls of division and make divine worship a matter of the heart and not one of location. In order to do that, He had to cross the racial barrier.

As human beings we like what feels comfortable and we are comfortable with what we know. Taking the message of Christ to people of a different culture is not something we instinctively gravitate towards, especially if we know their beliefs are different from ours. This does not necessarily mean going overseas because one of the benefits of globalization is that people of different nationalities, cultures, and beliefs are living and working side-by-side and together. We may view some of them as "the enemy" but we still have a responsibility to share with them the love of Christ.

Does it make you feel uncomfortable? That is not a bad thing. It just mean that we have work to do and because Jesus is our example, we can rest assured that the same Spirit that guided and enabled Him stands ready to guide and enable us. Befriend a non-christian from a different race and culture and allow the love of Christ to shine through you. If you already have such friendships, keep in mind the words of St. Francis of Assisi, "In everything you do preach Christ, and if necessary, use words." We are commissioned to cross the racial divide and like Christ, we have a responsibility to do so.

You Are What You Believe

Have you ever felt like an eagle among chickens? You feel so much God given potential within you yet it seems you are always in the company of chickens, running around like a chicken, instead of soaring to the skies like an eagle. As a matter of fact you start doubting what is inside of you, choosing instead to believe you are like everybody else; you are where you belong. I came across the following story, author unknown, which highlights this dilemma.

"Once upon a time, there was a large mountainside, where an eagle's nest rested. The eagle's nest contained four large eagle eggs. One day an earthquake rocked the mountain causing one of the eggs to roll down the mountain, to a chicken farm, located in the valley below. The chickens knew that they must protect and care for the eagle's egg, so an old hen volunteered to nurture and raise the large egg.

One day, the egg hatched and a beautiful eagle was born. Sadly, however, the eagle was raised to be a chicken. Soon, the eagle believed he was nothing more than a chicken. The eagle loved his home and family, but his spirit cried out for more. While playing a game on the farm one day, the eagle looked to the skies above and noticed a group of mighty eagles soaring in the skies. "Oh," the eagle cried, "I wish I could soar like those birds." The chickens roared with laughter, "You cannot soar with those birds. You are a chicken and chickens do not soar."

The eagle continued staring, at his real family up above, dreaming that he could be with them. Each time the eagle would let his dreams be known, he was told it couldn't be done. That is what the eagle learned to believe. The eagle, after time, stopped dreaming and continued to live his life like a chicken. Finally, after a long life as a chicken, the eagle passed away.

The moral of the story: You become what you believe you are; so if you ever dream to become an eagle follow your dreams, not the words of a chicken."

We who have the spirit of God are meant to soar above our circumstances. Like the eagle, we use the winds of adversity to lift our wings above the storms. However, it is important to know what is within us. It was never God's intention that we scratch out an existence, living lives of constant defeat. In Isaiah 40:28-31 we read, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (KJV).

We are what we believe we are. Let us believe God and trust what He has placed inside of us. We were meant to fly.

He Qualifies the Called

If you didn't know anything about Moses and he walked into your church to interview for the position of Senior Pastor, would you and the rest of the Pastoral Search Committee hire him? Looking at his resume would provoke more questions than answers. His background was a bit sketchy - he fled Egypt after killing a man and then spent the next forty years on the run tending goats and sheep for a man who would become his father-in-law. Those last forty years of his life stand out because he did nothing of significance. Did I mention he was now eighty years old, had no relevant leadership experience, and had a speech impediment? Chances are good that he would not be hired by any Committee because he did not fit the profile of a senior leader. Good intentions wasn't going to cut it. The ability to communicate effectively, strong leadership skills along with the ability to plan, organize and coordinate were some of the key requirements for the position.

However, that is from our human perspective. Because one day while tending the goats and sheep on the backside of the desert, he had an encounter with the God of Abraham, Jacob and Issac, who - after a series of events - told him, "Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:10, KJV). Moses' reaction was understandable! "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (v.11). In other words, "Who, me? Go to Egypt and lead out almost two million Israelites? God, are you crazy?" But God would not be denied; Moses was His man - "And he [God] said, Certainly I will be with thee" (v.12a). Moses reminded God, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say" (vv. 10-12).

Do you see a bit of yourself in Moses? In looking at yourself you have no idea why God would call you to do the things He has called you to do. In your eyes and those of others, you are not qualified. Yet, of all the people that God could have called, He called you. It is important to understand that He doesn't necessarily call the qualified, but He always qualifies the called. It is not so much what you bring to Him that He needs because just as He transformed Moses' staff from a stick to a conduit of His power, so He is more than able to transform your inadequacies into conduits of His grace. It is not what we think of ourselves that is important but rather what God thinks of us.

What has God called you to do that you feel you are not qualified for? Rest assured that He was intimately aware of your deficiencies before He called you yet He called you still. It is in your weaknesses that He shows Himself strong, so much so that when all is said and done, He gets the glory because you could not have done it without Him. Trust Him that He knows what He is doing. Your challenge is to go out and do as He say, knowing fully well that "certainly [He] will be with thee" every step of the way.

He's More Than Enough = BTC

The first time I heard this song, it ministered to me in a way that I cannot describe. Our God, omnipotent and omniscient. Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Rohi, and all the other names through which He manifests Himself, He is more than enough. I absolutely love this song and I pray it ministers to you as it continues to minister to me.