Thursday, June 18, 2015

"For Love"


    In his epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul thrice refers to our justification through the Lord Jesus Christ as a "free gift" (Romans 5 16-18).  We do nothing to earn such blessedness, and by definition, we can never pay God back for the goodness He bestows on us through His Son.  Nor should we seek to do so.

    "We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).

    In loving relationships, there is no quid pro quo, as it were.  We rather seek to bless our loved ones as the expression of loving affection, commitment, and devotion to their best interests and the pleasure of their hearts.  This reality of relationship presents a challenge in our bond with our Lord.  We are dependent on Him for all, including "life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25).  "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17).  Thus, we may be tempted to relate to God as a matter of indebted obligation rather than love.  There is a difference, the difference of grace.  Again, by definition, one cannot purchase a free gift, particularly the freest gift ever given, salvation in the Lord Jesus and subsequent relationship with God.  We rather receive it as it is, the bestowal of love, and then seek to respond in a gratitude that elicits more than the shallow obligation of "Well, God has done so much for me!  I want to do something for Him!"  In Christ, we rather discover in ourselves the capacity to relate to our Heavenly Father with a far greater and purer motivation.  We love Him for who He is rather than for what He does.  Perhaps this is what the Apostle Paul alluded to in his marvelous affirmation, "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6).


"What I did for you, I did for love.
What I've given you came from
a Father's heart.
You don't owe me, there is nothing to repay,
for what I did for you,
I did for love.

It has been My joy to be the Life of your life.
And I still rejoice that forever I'll supply
for your every need,
and there'll be nothing to repay.
For what I do for you,
I do for love.

As the days go by, and your heart grows 
close to Mine,
you will understand the glory of a life
in which you do for love,
and there is nothing to repay,
for what I do and what you do,
we do for love.

"For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
(Romans 4:3-5)

Weekly Memory Verse
     Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life.  He that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.
(John 6:35)    

No comments: