“For God so loved the
world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall
not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world
to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who
believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is
the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness
rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil
hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be
exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds
may be manifested as having been wrought in God” (John 3:16-21).
I never met a person who enjoyed the experience of changing diapers. I met many
who gladly changed diapers because they loved. On a cold night, my father-in-law
told Joyce he had never seen it cold enough to make dishwater feel good. Yet, I
saw my father-in-law wash dishes because he loved his ailing wife. Take your
pick—ironing white shirts, canning, unstopping a commode, splitting a rick of
gnarled hickory, digging a septic line, cleaning up vomit, dressing bad wounds,
etc.—there are many tasks performed because of love that otherwise would be
neglected. It is not love of the task! It is love of the person who benefits
from the task!
Never think it is easy for God to forgive! Sin is everything God is not. Never
think it was easy for God to surrender Jesus to death! Jesus was the only adult
who never rebelled. Never decide it is easy for God to sustain fellowship with
us when we continue to sin and need forgiveness. Were I to attribute human
characteristics to God, I would see God heaving, gushing each time we make a
mess. It is amazing God tolerates us!
Consider a fascinating question: Why does God put up with us? The simple answer:
He loves us. Because He loves, He forgives. Because He loves, He endures.
Because He loves, He tolerates the objectionable to bless the person.
I wonder when we—each of us—will “get it.” When will we understand it is not
“correctness” that covers a multitude of sins, or “justification,” or “history.”
It is love that covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). It is a fervent love
for each other that responds to the messes we make.
Why? Because such love is characteristic of God—and enduring friendships, and
enduring marriages, and quality parenting, and—above all—an enduring fellowship
among those who have entered Christ. May I be spiritually mature enough to love
the God who forgives you when I have difficulty loving you. Why? Because God in
creation and Christ gave you that kind of worth. And—that same God forgives me.
“By this all men will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35).
Link to other Writings of David Chadwell