Loving us did not come cheap to God. Even though He is God. He paid a high price for us. It is an awesome thing to sit in quietness and remember the goodness of the Lord. Even though many of us have heard the gospel story, sitting in God’s presence thinking on his goodness; we can begin to see it in a new way.
We know love is real when it costs something to love. A friend or family member gives up a kidney for a relative because of love. A married person dials back their dreams to be present with their spouse and children because of love. A single person holds out on false love because he/she loves herself. We know love is real when it costs us something.
So, what did it cost God to love us? It first cost God, the Father, his son. God the Father had to watch his son suffer on earth to bring us to himself. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh gave up his comfort. He had it made as God, the son. Jesus did not have to deal with any of the things we see him dealing with from man.
Jesus humbled himself as a man. He did not flash the clout of being God, but genuinely humbled himself. This humility allowed him to be scrutinized by the men he gave up his life to save. His humble entrance into the world as the son of a carpenter, Joseph, and a teen mom, Mary, who lived in a small town where everyone knew everyone garnered him the sin of familiarity. He gave up respect in his home-town to love us.
HHe gave up the comfort of avoiding confrontation from those who scrutinized him for teaching uncommon themes such as forgiveness, and the idea that a man could be God’s son—and making himself equal with God. He had to share these tenants so that we would be able to believe in him. He made it plain who he was.
He gave up comfort for being accepted among the most religious elite of his day by not condemning the outcasts of society—the divorced, lepers, tax collectors, and prostitutes. Finally, he embraced the grief of dying on the cross and leaving a grieving mother behind and siblings for the greater good of all humanity who would trust and believe in him.
All of this and more Christ endured due to the joy that was set before him. What was this joy? What was this motivation? The Bible says plainly in John 3:16 it was because he loved us. You are very loveable. Loving you does not come cheap. It cost God something to love you and me. Let’s not forget this. Let’s remember this when God protects us from those who do not likewise hold the very best interest for us. God loves us so much and if it costs him something to love us; that should remind us that we are worthy of love.
Following in Christ’s example, what can we give up to genuinely love our brothers and sisters in Christ as well as others in the world? Can we give up the need to be right? Can we give up the need for an apology? Can we trust the Holy Spirit to convict those in our lives who have done us wrong choosing to love them instead? What areas of your life is the Holy Spirit convicting you, stretching you, and calling you to a higher display of his love?
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