The Freedom to Love

I was struck as I watched people who were freely worshipping Jesus, that in the world's eyes our love for Him doesn't make sense. To many Christians it doesn't make sense to be radically in love with Jesus because religion (performance) has so invaded the Church. To truly love someone is to be willing to be made a fool because this love overpowers fear. This is a radical, scarey, and passionate love that only comes as we understand God through the New Covenant. We can't imagine a God who would not only love us in our most selfish, embarrassing, and foolish moments but would even desire to bless us when we have blown it so bad. Being one of His children has nothing to do with how good our last attempt at obeying Him was, He is not after the slavish obedience under the Old Covenant or Law but to walk in newness of life (Romans 8:2). Does God being love by nature (see 1 John 4:8) have the ability because of who He is, to give to me when I am not perfected, put together, and still frail. These words of light are difficult to believe in a world that focuses so much on a person's appearance, performance, ability, and resources. I can now see why to love God you must hate the world (the system of beliefs contrary to the Word). I am seeing that a big part of being free to love others where they are, is being able to love and accept myself. Jesus said, love your neighbor as yourself. How many people truly love themselves? I have found many that secretly hold a disdain for themselves and their choices. I have to honestly say I have been there, Paul shares my experience in Romans 7 but he moves into victory in Romans 8. Worldly self-acceptance is looking at all I have accomplished, built, fashioned, created, and in pride pronouncing it as good like I was God (God did this after His Creation). Biblical self-acceptance and love is in total contrast to this, Paul in Romans 5 points to Jesus sacrafice for us while we were in a wretched sin condition as the foundation for self-love. We can love and accept ourselves because God did totally through the finished work of Christ. Religion cannot deal with the radical love of the Father that Jesus portrays in the story of the Prodigal son (Luke 15). Could it be that your Abba and mine is not tolerant about you but passionately and radically delighted with you? Abba doesn't wake us up with the line from the movie Parenthood, "Get up scumbag". Many of us living in this daily reality as we awake to a new day, believing that God somehow carries yesterdays disappointments into today. I believe this is partly why the Word tells us, His mercies are new every morning. There is a freshness in God's love that brings us to life each day. So who is the author of these accusations, is it just as Psychology diagnosis it as poor self-esteem or do we have an Enemy who is deceptive, hidden, and dark? I believe the Word when it says in Revelation that the Enemy is constantly accusing the brethern (you and me). What would happen if we awoke each day acknowledging the truth that we are Christ's beloved bride? As one speaker even said, he congratulated God on His workmanship of this man (Ephesians 2:10). With Christ in you, you are amazing, astonishing, a whole new human race (sons and daughters of God).

In His Amazing Grace,
Bret Rutland