Radically Loved
(“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly
loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be
tolerant with each other.” Colossians 3:12, 13a)
Do you give much thought
to what others think about you? Granted, some of us think about it far too
much. My brain seems to be wired in a way that is always asking, “Yeah, but
what did they think about that? How did they interpret my words or actions?”
Thinking through the effect of our life is a sign of maturity. But, overthinking
how we are perceived by others can result in stagnation, stunting our growth
into the beauty of a fulfilling life.
That is why the
Scriptures so often declare God’s view of people. Frequently, we get stuck in
the “humans are sinful” parts of the Bible and fail to ask, “Yes, but how does
God feel about us?” If we view God as vengefully angry at us, we become
vengefully angry people. If we view Him as forgiving and loving toward us, we
become more forgiving and loving ourselves.
There is little doubt
that people who are compassionate, kind, and humble do much more for the world
than those who are abrasive and judgmental. These are the qualities of life
that Father God wants for His children. Sometimes we put the cart before the
horse. We demand of others and ourselves a measure of love and compassion which
we may not have fully experienced.
This is why, in this
verse, and throughout Scripture, we are reminded first who we are. God has called us His chosen ones. He sees us as
holy. And we are dearly loved by Him! It is my firm belief that the more we
actually believe we are the beloved of God, the more we will act in loving and
compassionate ways.
Your identity is not
rooted in your failures, nor even in your sin. It is rooted in God’s relentless
tenderness that has been revealed in Jesus Christ. Brennan Manning wrote, “Define
yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other
identity is illusion.” You cannot be
holy until you see yourself as holy,
set apart by God Himself. You will have trouble loving others dearly until you
understand how deeply God has loved you; how radically He has loved you.
Patti and I will
celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary in just a few days. I have
learned so much about the accepting, tolerant, radical love of Jesus from my
wife. As much as she acts in love and forgiveness towards me, it is just as
important that I know within my own
heart the I am her beloved. One part of that is her responsibility; being loving. The other is mine; believing I am loved.
Take to heart what God
has done in His love for you. “He
destroyed the record of the debt we owed, with its requirements that worked
against us. He canceled it by nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:14)
Inhale it deeply. Drink it as the water that slakes your deepest thirst. Every
debt you owed God because you did not measure up has been “destroyed” and
“nailed to the cross!” Can you imagine the freedom when you fully comprehend
the depths of the Father’s love for you?
Now you can go on, enabled
by your status as “the beloved” to love without fear. You can put on compassion
and kindness, instead of feeling the need to correct people. You can humbly
listen without being threatened by others’ opinions. You are able to be gentle
in the face of fear or antagonism. And, you can patiently go at someone else’s
pace instead of your own, all because you know you are the Father’s beloved
child.
When a church of
Jesus-followers operates out of a deep understanding of God’s love through
Christ, they will be seen as tolerant. This is not because they “sugar-coat”
sin, it is because they know the only answer to the sin problem is the
relentless love of God shown through Jesus Christ. Not only that, people will
never call that church “boring”!
Do you struggle with what
God thinks about you? Then take to heart these words today: You are His chosen
one. You are holy to Him. And, you are His beloved. Now, go and show that same
relentless tenderness to the world around you.
