It’s Friday…A Desire To Be Like Him

It is Mother’s Day weekend. A mother’s tender love is the closest example of God’s love for us. But nowhere in the New Testament is love defined simply as a human emotion. Biblical love is much more radical than that. It extends farther than the world’s love – even to enemies and strangers – and it also goes deeper – sacrificial offerings of adoration. We love because God adamantly insists that we be like Him. So where would we go to take our cues? Jesus is our example.

“Walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2)

Jesus loved us and gave Himself as an offering. He considered His momentary human feelings of no account; a higher consideration than self, took Him to the cross. He defined love for His disciples as laying down a life for a friend; and He gave them an object lesson they would never forget. The visual illustration of this kind of love is to stick with us as well. It’s the example Paul gives to the believers in Ephesus: We are to love in the same way Christ loved us. Paul also wrote to the Romans of the call to be a living sacrifice. Using Jesus as our model is the reiteration of the same theme.

Think of Jesus’ kind of love. He embraced cheaters and prostitutes. He touched lepers and dead people. He was sometimes very tender and sometimes very harsh. He always told the truth, even when it hurt. He loved sinners but hated sin. He let people self-destruct, never compromising principles for the sake of sentiment. He was incredibly patient with hardheaded followers. And He bled.

Does that description of Jesus’ love reflect the kind of love we show to those we know best as well as strangers in the world? Probably not. We have a long way to go, don’t we? But there’s no way we can fully worship The Lord without A Desire To Be Like Him – especially in His love.

Paul frequently makes Jesus our prime example. So much for attainable goals. But a God worth worshiping would never settle for mediocrity anyway. We must press on. His love compels us.

Have a memorable weekend. Honor Mom, her beautiful qualities, and her memory. And make this weekend better by worshiping The Lord with those who live to be the fragrances of His love wherever they go.

“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15b-16)