The Mark of Authenticity
Attraction falls pitifully short. Admiration cannot approach. Affection merely counterfeits.
Christ did not love with any such pretense or flimsy affectation. Instead He proclaimed in His flesh what it is to “love your enemies, and do good… expecting nothing in return…” (Luke 6:35). All He could give was poured out, all He could surrender was offered.
There was in Him the stark acceptance of the cost, and – without ‘shrinking back’ – He submitted Himself to the altar. He acted solely of His volition - specifically lacking any incentive supplied by us - and became for us a ‘drink offering… poured out upon the sacrifice and service of our faith’ (Philippians 1:29). He came, not to be esteemed, nor even well-received, but rather, to “accept joyfully” the seizure (Heb. 10:34) of all that was His, in order to bless the one for whom He had come.
There is inherent to love the one mark of authenticity: the committed will which refuses to retreat from sheer sacrifice. God does not bear kindly “good wishes,” but instead – regardless of our state – comes to us with His offer: His all, for our sake, despite whether we are reticent to accept. The gritty, brutal price He'd determined was already delivered on behalf of His intended: the sacrifice was not withheld on any basis.
And we are left with the piercing reality that “we” were never the determining factor; that He never awaited our reciprocation before laying Himself down. He was not willing to give only to the extent that He would find receptivity, but to the full extent of His love, for the Giver was not to be constrained.
And so we are called to act. He has shown us that unyielding, faithful love in the flesh. Why do we suppose we would be called just shy of exhibiting that same Spirit? Instead, we are to act regardless of response, indicating the focus of our faith: that our eyes look not to man, but to God. Our ambition is not to find favor with fellow creatures, but only to entertain audience with Almighty God, who Himself originated selflessness.
We can invest ourselves in superficial attempts to secure a mutual response, but until we abide in the risk of unrestrained sacrifice on behalf of another, we have not come to love; we have only occupied ourselves with a faulty imitation of that divine dynamic --
Christ did not love with any such pretense or flimsy affectation. Instead He proclaimed in His flesh what it is to “love your enemies, and do good… expecting nothing in return…” (Luke 6:35). All He could give was poured out, all He could surrender was offered.
There was in Him the stark acceptance of the cost, and – without ‘shrinking back’ – He submitted Himself to the altar. He acted solely of His volition - specifically lacking any incentive supplied by us - and became for us a ‘drink offering… poured out upon the sacrifice and service of our faith’ (Philippians 1:29). He came, not to be esteemed, nor even well-received, but rather, to “accept joyfully” the seizure (Heb. 10:34) of all that was His, in order to bless the one for whom He had come.
There is inherent to love the one mark of authenticity: the committed will which refuses to retreat from sheer sacrifice. God does not bear kindly “good wishes,” but instead – regardless of our state – comes to us with His offer: His all, for our sake, despite whether we are reticent to accept. The gritty, brutal price He'd determined was already delivered on behalf of His intended: the sacrifice was not withheld on any basis.
And we are left with the piercing reality that “we” were never the determining factor; that He never awaited our reciprocation before laying Himself down. He was not willing to give only to the extent that He would find receptivity, but to the full extent of His love, for the Giver was not to be constrained.
And so we are called to act. He has shown us that unyielding, faithful love in the flesh. Why do we suppose we would be called just shy of exhibiting that same Spirit? Instead, we are to act regardless of response, indicating the focus of our faith: that our eyes look not to man, but to God. Our ambition is not to find favor with fellow creatures, but only to entertain audience with Almighty God, who Himself originated selflessness.
We can invest ourselves in superficial attempts to secure a mutual response, but until we abide in the risk of unrestrained sacrifice on behalf of another, we have not come to love; we have only occupied ourselves with a faulty imitation of that divine dynamic --
posted by Purple at 7:44 PM
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