“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NIV)
It’s difficult to wrap our meager human minds around this concept, am I right? Loving our enemies… that just seems like an oxymoron if there ever was one. It’s interesting to me how we (humans) tend to hold grudges that are incredibly ridiculous. Sifting through names for our soon-to-be-here baby has shown a spotlight on this tendency. My husband will bring up a name and I’ll veto it because it’s the same name as someone who was less than nice to me in childhood. How were they mean to me? Well, it could have been something as simple as teasing me about not wearing the latest fashion, being a preacher’s kid, or being “the help” for Wednesday night dinners at church. Didn’t matter what it was, if there was a social injury, that person’s name was scrapped from the list of possibilities.
While I’ve forgiven and feel sympathy for those individuals, I’m not interested in tracking them down on social media to catch up or to run into them at the grocery store. And I certainly don’t want to stick their name to my child. I know this is an extreme scenario – I’m sure that it’s happened – but can you imagine someone naming their child Adolf (Hitler)? Here’s a more common one: Joseph (Stalin)? Here’s a mind-blowing concept: Christ died for the Hitlers and Stalins!
One of my favorite conversations to partake in (or just listen in on) is when my husband is talking with people about grace and God’s love. Many times, the topic of Hitler’s eternal residence comes up. If I were to ask any number of people where he ended up, Heaven or Hell, the vast majority would respond without any hesitation: Hell. But what if he had a come-to-Jesus moment before his death? What if he recognized that what he had done was wrong and his heart accepted the gift of salvation? Notice that I didn’t say anything about him seeking to have his sins forgiven. They were forgiven before he ever committed them. It is not an issue of forgiveness that will stop people from spending eternity with God, but instead it is our acceptance or rejection of Jesus’ sacrifice that will determine our eternity.
What usually comes next in the conversation is something that really throws people off – our desire to see someone like Hitler (someone who is widely known for committing atrocities towards mankind) in Heaven worshiping God. Not because we approve of what they did with their time on earth, but because it will show a side of God’s goodness, grace, and love that we can’t seem to understand.
The highly popular song by Mercy Me, “I Can Only Imagine,” keeps coming to mind. There are a few songs out there in regards to walking through the pearly gates and what we imagine we’ll experience that I remember from childhood and a early adulthood. One is about thanking the person who was influential in introducing a relationship with Christ (“Thank you” by Ray Boltz), and the other is “I Can Only Imagine.” While one focuses on individuals thanking someone for giving to the Lord, the other is about being in awe in God’s presence.
While I hope that even the vilest person to walk the earth will come (will have come) to know Christ, I know that not everyone will have Heaven as their eternal destination. But is that where our focus is going to be? Are we going to be busy with people thanking us for the seeds we planted that brought them into relationship with Christ? Are we going to grumble and complain and have indignant outrage if Adolf Hitler is present among the worshippers? Will it even be possible to have our focus on anyone other than our Heavenly Father? I can only imagine…
Trying to imagine the love God has for us is something we just can’t seem to do. We can guess, we can speculate; we can use our imagination, but I’m not sure we’ll ever grasp the magnitude of love He has for us. His love is higher, deeper, wider, longer – and surpasses knowledge! Last week I mentioned the disciple whom Jesus loved – John (Who’s the Favorite?). John is the one who wrote that about himself. He recognized that it wasn’t about how much he loved God, but that he was loved by God.
How often do we get caught up in doing, doing, doing, that we cease to rest? We’re a mighty competitive species – always out to prove ourselves, prove our worth, and be the best – even at the expense of others. But John recognized that no matter what he did to further the kingdom (Christianese speak for telling people about God’s love), he was loved beyond his knowledge. He was already loved beyond the sacrifice made on the cross. John rested in the finished work on the cross before Jesus was even arrested!
Even though we’re on the other side of the cross and the sacrifice has been made, I still struggle to fathom just how much I’m loved by my Father. It’s a topic that I find to be inexhaustible (hence the name of the series). I leave you with a challenge this week. Maybe “challenge” is not the right word, but the mere topic of God’s love brings with it so many areas to discern.
The challenge is to take time to ask yourself some honest questions:
- Am I concerned that I’m not showing that I love God enough?
- What ways do I see God’s love in my day (big and small)?
- Do I bristle at the thought of possibly sharing Heaven with anyone who I consider vile? Why or why not?
- Am I loved by God?
I would love to hear your thoughts on God’s love – experiences that have transformed your view or opinion, moments of revelation, and the subtle (and not-so subtle) ways that God has shown Himself to you. Feel free to comment to share with me and other readers, or email me if you prefer: ohblessitgrace@gmail.com
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)