Month: October 2014

He Calls Them Beloved.

/ jfunkhouser / 1 Comment

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

1 John 4 is a must-read for anyone looking to discover what it means to be the beloved of God. Mixed among some of the most beautiful descriptions of God’s love in all of Scripture are these constant reminders of our responsibility to pass that love on. And having the Creator and Sustainer of the universe as a role model means the stakes are raised pretty high.

I find it fascinating that although this passage does go on to describe the incredible love of God, it begins with an injunction to love one another. What’s even more fascinating, however, are the lines that come directly after this command: “for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (v7). 

In other words, every time I demonstrate genuine love, I’m acting out my knowledge of the character of God. I’m demonstrating who God is, and identifying myself with Him in some way, however small.

How often I forget this when I’m in a situation that requires self-sacrificing love! How quick I can be to accuse, to turn aside, or to push for my own way. Yet if I truly understand the character of God, I should realize that it doesn’t just end with me. The same God who sees me as beloved also sees them as His beloved. And so should I.

Think for a moment of someone to whom you struggle in showing love. It could be a coworker, a member of your Bible study, or a even a family member or friend. Consider the following list with them in mind:

  • They are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27)
  • The very hairs on their head are numbered with care (Matt. 10:30)
  • God looks on them with compassion (Matt. 9:36, 23:37)
  • He delights in them as His creation (Eph. 2:10)
  • If they believe in Christ, they are his friend, child, and co-heir (John 15:15, Rom. 8:16-17)

How does it feel to think about them in this light? Personally, I know it is very hard to be irritated with someone, and believe them to be delighted in by God at the same moment. Taking the time to remember these truths can diffuse many of the negative or harmful thoughts we have about each other. They deserve our care and respect for no other reason than being created in the image of God.

However, I believe that to truly understand what it means to live out the “belovedness” of others, we have to take it even one step further. If every act of love becomes a tangible demonstration of the character of God, then this is a powerful way to speak of Him to those we meet. Imagine if you treated every person you saw tomorrow as if they were passionately cared for by the God of the Universe. How would that change the way you talk to the person who serves your meal, rings up your purchase at the grocery store, or fixes your leaky faucet? How would that change the way you really notice the people around you, and what needs they might have? How would that change the way you pray?

Once again, it all boils down to the character of God–a God who spontaneously, generously loves every single beautiful and broken soul he created. A God who loves purely, who hates the sin that separates us from Him, and took it upon himself to provide the solution that we could not. A God who offers this redemption freely, who asks us to love him wholeheartedly, and who is concerned with the injustice in our world and the poverty not only of tangible resources, but the poverty of love.

When faced with a love this extravagant, what else can we do but give it out?

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

He Calls Me Beloved

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In my last post I shared how much I’m learning about identity. Turns out, all the mistakes I’ve made looking back, whether they were “little” or “big,” all come down to this. A wrong view of myself will be played out in wrong actions and attitudes every time.

The struggle for identity is very real for all of us. Whether we’re searching for meaning in our work, in our relationships, in our children, in our accomplishments, we’re all looking to hit bedrock somewhere. We all want to find something unshakable, that can tell us how to walk the dark and uncertain moments of our daily life. We have a strong desire to be noticed, to be valued, to belong. To be loved.

One of the biggest problems I’ve found about identity, however, is how often can settle down to me.

Take, for example, the two big camps on identity. One group appeals to the person who has low self-esteem–who thinks, “Who am I? God could never love me.” In response to this, we have a whole flood of books and articles trying to convince people that “God is crazy about you.” They emphasize being made in God’s image, constantly on his mind, and looked down upon in adoring love. I fully believe that God loves his people purely and passionately. But hear me out.

The other camp tries to speak to those who may have too high a view of themselves. They need to be “taken down a notch”–reminded of their need for humility before a holy and high God. We don’t see as many books and articles written on this one, but they’re still out there. The reminder of our sin and constantly, daily need for God’s grace is designed to help us realize that, as the Bible teaches, we are frail and made of dust.

Both of these truths are taught in Scripture, and can certainly be supported by many Biblical accounts. What I am trying communicate here is simply that we do God a great injustice by simply stopping there.  

The main goal of the Bible is not for us to think better, or worse about ourselves. The main goal of the Bible is not even for us to understand ourselves rightly. The main goal of the Bible is for us to understand God rightly.  A right view of God will inevitably lead into a right view of humanity, including ourselves. But neither self-confidence nor humility should ever be the goal. Our aim should always be Him.

When we truly know who it is that we worship, when we understand the incredible love of a God who chose us to be his Beloved, we can’t help but move past our own insecurities. When we can completely trust the heart of a God who sacrificed his Son to bring us redemption, we can also trust that he means what he says about you and me.

Instead of trying to teach our children a proper amount of self-confidence, maybe we should be teaching them how to have God-confidence. How to be so secure in their status as the child of the great King, they’ll hold their heads high even through bullying and hurt. How to be so sure that God loves them, they can smile with compassion instead of fighting for importance.

Identity and worship. At first glance, they don’t seem to go together, but their threads are woven tightly together.

Will you choose to worship yourself today, and constantly be on the defensive?

Or will you choose to worship the one who holds the whole of the universe in the palm of His hands, who has the very hairs on your head numbered, and lean into this incredible Love that will never let you go?