Hello everyone and welcome back to Deeper Waters where we are diving into the ocean of truth. I apologize for the lack of blogs lately. My wife and I were both out of town and we both came down with something. We’re still recovering, but I’m functioning enough that I can make it out in the world to an extent.
I’ve been considering lately the topic of the love of God. Usually, we have church services and events where we talk about how good the love of God is. I agree it is good. We talk about how it brings us so much joy to know that God loves us. Indeed, it should bring us a lot of joy. However, have we ever considered the love of God as frightening?
Recently, someone asked me how to learn forgiveness best. I told them to get married. It works both ways. When the Mrs. has done something that has hurt me somehow, I am often tempted to get angry first, but then I realize that such a response would hurt her and me both. Thus, I refrain but I am firm and say that whatever it was, it should not happen again.
Meanwhile, I think I could say I’ve apologized more in the past year than I have all other years combined. Living with someone else has taught me not only what that someone else is like, but what I am like as well. Before you want to go after the other person, I find it helpful to look and find out if you’re any better. It may not be the same problem, but it could be a similar one.
My wife’s forgiveness of me is incredible to me which gets me to think about the love of God in a new way. I will know she’s offended by something that I’ve done, but within a few moments, she’s back to her sweet self and she’s more than happy to forgive me of everything. Being “let off the hook” is incredible.
It is with God also which can get us thinking “There must be a catch!” Most of us just can’t really accept the love of God. How could someone care for us that much? Indeed, any transgression we commit against our spouse is nowhere near the hideousness of what it is that we have done to God.
We like to revel in this love and consider it as such a good truth to hear, but it should be seen as something that inspires fear as well, a healthy fear that is. What does it mean that God can come to us and as I’ve told me Mrs., not wipe the slate clean but break it into a million pieces?
The next time you hear about the love of God, be joyful, but remember the holiness of Him who has forgiven you and that He has the authority to pronounce you holy as well. The love of God is good news for us, but it is also news that should shake us to our core and encourage us to be holy.