On this twentieth lenten morning, let us ponder the following verse:
"I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love;
I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them."
Hosea 11:4, NIV
"Savior, like a Shepherd, lead us
Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare."
-- Extracted from Savior, like a Shepherd Lead Us,
attributed to Dorothy A. Thrupp
Like sheep, we are dependent creatures. We need a Shepherd to love us, to protect and lead us to excellent pastures and clean water. Also like sheep, we respond best and most readily to sincere wooing and affectionate coaxing, gentleness and kindness. Such tenderness is a tangible way for the Father to express agape love to His children.
Love.
The Father loves us. The Spirit loves us.
The Son loves us.
Pure love.
Calvary's love.
The Father woos us to Himself with kindness, goodness, and forgiveness. He tethers us to His bosom with ties of love, mercy, compassion. When we, defiled and decrepit, approach His throne of grace, He faithfully and gently hoists us up, cleanses and renews us, and restores us to complete fellowship with Him. His faithful love will never fail us!
So, we happily chant,
"I love You, Lord.
I love You so very much.
There is none like You!"
Love.
Blissful love.
The above words
are easily expressed to God when the music is played in the car on our way to
work. They come out effortlessly when the whole congregation is singing with
the worship team. They linger in our thoughts when the behavior of our kids
could earn us a Parent of the Year award.
They certainly dwell within us when our boats are floating above rivers of
success, human recognition, health, and wealth.
Yet, what
happens to those delicious expressions when bitterness, envy, distress, or
enmity come calling? Do they flee the scene when we face circumstances or
enticements bucking our own convictions to follow the Lord? Amidst tears and heartaches
over losses and betrayals, do we readily voice them out to our heavenly
Husbandman?
When our hearts
come face to face with God’s mirror, the true spiritual condition of our inner
selves is most definitely laid bare before the holiness of Yahweh. The
fluorescent light emanating from the righteous and divine Word reveals that
which is often hidden in the darkened nooks and crannies of our souls—good
works, eloquent prayers, syrupy words masking a love relationship gone
infertile and dry.
It is this barren love—spiritual
infertility—that the Holy Spirit graciously seeks to convict our minds and
hearts to rend and reject. After all, He was most sincerely displeased when
Ananias and Sapphira pretended to possess a spiritual beauty that was not theirs
(Acts 5:1-11). That is why our hearts are checked daily, our resolve tested
continually, and our mind probed consistently. God is interested in the
integrity and purity of our total love for Him.
Graciously, learning to love
God is the crux of the lifelong Lent to which we are called:
“Love the Lord your
God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your mind
and with
all your strength”
(Mark 12:30, NIV).
Let us humbly request His assistance
for this noble task:
Lord, Your Word offers grace to all
who love You with an undying love. Yet, how can our love be undying when we
persist in performing acts that lead to death either spiritually, relationally,
physically, and even environmentally? Help us to love You with all that is
within us and then, out of our love for You, help us to love others, too. We
are comforted by Your grace that injects in us Your life, Your love, Your
undying love so, in return, we can obey and love You forever. In the name of
Jesus, we pray. Amen!
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