1 John 4:7-12
If you recognize the title of this series as a book by AW Tozer, then hats off to you. If you’ve spent any time reading his work, I’m impressed and if you can fully comprehend his writing then I am astounded. Tozer wrote and spoke on a level that is somewhere between heaven and earth. Take this thought: “We might be wise to follow the insight of the enraptured heart rather than the more cautious reasonings of the theological mind” (Tozer, KotH, 13). In other words, God cannot be understood like we understand the workings of a clock or the way in which an embryo develops into a child. These, while incredible, are mathematical equations, set to work the same way time and time again. These are systems that have explorable, technical, working pieces. To begin delving into the knowledge of God and His love is not about solving for X, but instead is an exploration of experience. This is the truth of the gospel, living fully in the love of God. If we try to live in rules or expectations, we pervert the original intent of the gospel.
I don’t know that I can pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with Nita, but I do remember what happened when I knew I wanted to marry her. She knocked on my apartment door early on the morning of my birthday to make me a special breakfast. Watching her cook and conversing, flirting back and forth, this experience set the course for the relationship. Exactly how two people fall in love is unmeasurable and indescribable, yet we know when it happens. We don’t know how God reveals Himself to us, but we do know some of those revelations. As we defined the word revelation last week, it means God showing Himself to us. This means that He is making an effort to come after us, to share Himself with us, to show us who, at His heart, He really is. This is romance – the yearning of the heart to be connected, to be known, to know, and most importantly, love.
God shows us the depth of His love by laying down His life for us. It is His act and expression of love that echoes through history. There is no greater love than this; one lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).
God is Love
Each of us has a connecting point to where romance first grabbed us. For me it was the back hills of WV with the nature, beauty, and connectivity to God. It was the sounds that grabbed me – the buzzing of the bugs, the clicking of the horse hooves on the rocky terrain – I began to be grabbed by the mystery of this wonderful creation we’ve been given to inhabit. This is the wooing, romantic action of God. God is love. Love is not something that He does, it is something that He is – it is such a complete part of His nature that it’s as if it oozes out of every action and connection. Whether it is the sound of a babbling brook carving its way down a hill, or the scent of morning dew of a grassy meadow, or the way your spouse stared miles into your eyes while you were exchanging vows. Love is beauty, intimacy, knowledge and connection, which God pours out on us at all times. Not sometimes, or when He feels good, or when He is not currently angry at us. Love is who He is, just as He is unchanging and eternal. He is love.
Love is a Verb
Anyone who has experienced the euphoria of falling in love knows that it is a passing fancy. The feelings of love fade over time or even situationally, but love is not a feeling, that really is just a euphoric, hormone fueled high. Love is a choice. It is a decision to place someone else’s needs before your own. My dad’s father was largely absentee, but his step-father really stepped in and became the one my dad called dad. This choice of love is shown most profoundly through the cross, where He held Himself on it, taking in the full weight of wrath and anger to pay for our sins (propitiation), so that we can be with Him in the fullness of His presence. It seems contrite to say He went through hell for us so that He won’t be in heaven without us, but if you’ve made the choice to truly love another person and been through the ringer, then you’d agree that is love at its apex.
Next Steps
As John 15:13 says, there is no greater love than this; one lay down his life for his friends. God’s love encompasses all who He is and He shows it (every day through the continuation of life) most powerfully through the grace offered through Jesus. How will you respond?
- Get some time away with God. Maybe a prayer day, or a walk in nature, someplace that connects to where you first felt the wooing of God (remember the prayer days in OH).
- Invite someone over for dinner, just to treat them well and let them experience your love (purpose of our Friendsgiving dinners).
It might not be as elevated as the language of AW Tozer, but the lyrics of the 90s Christian group DC Talk song “Love is a verb” are just as powerful—“when you show me love I don’t need your words; show me show me; love is a verb”. What are you doing to live in God’s love and show love towards others?
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