In The Brothers Karamazov, a monk named Zosima attends to a wealthy widow. The woman tells him that she has considered becoming a nun, taking a vow of poverty and serving the poor. One matter has stopped her, however.
All of God’s attributes are essential to who he is, but scripture seems to place a special emphasis on the fact that he is loving. God’s all-encompassing love is one of the ways that he makes himself known to us.
“Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head” (Psalm 21:3, KJV). At first glance, this verse by David is a bit puzzling. The word “prevent” is usually associated with a hindrance, but the modern translation here would be, “You meet him with the blessings of goodness” (NKJV).
The biblical word for “prevent” meant “to anticipate, to precede, to foresee and fulfill in advance, to pay a debt before it is due.” Furthermore, in almost every instance, it implied something of pleasure.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
God not only loves his people but delights in each one of us. He takes great pleasure in us.
I see this kind of parental pleasure in my wife, Gwen, whenever one of our grandchildren calls. Gwen lights up like a Christmas tree when she has one of our dear, little ones on the line. Nothing can get her off the phone. Even if I told her the President was at our door, she’d shoo me away and keep talking.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
In this powerful message from 1968, David Wilkerson exhorts us to examine our hearts to see whether we have received a baptism of love in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus tells a crowd of Pharisees and religious people around him, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:14-16, ESV).
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
As Christ’s witnesses, we are called to a seemingly impossible task. We are asking the world to lay down the things that are most dear to them: their sins. In their eyes, the Christian walk — a life of purity and holiness — looks like a form of slavery. Our idea of heaven seems to them more like hell. When they hear us talk about the gospel, it is an offence to their lifestyle. Christ’s gospel calls them to repent of the sins they love, to repent of rejecting the God who died for them on a cross.