The Carpenter's Apprentice Archives

Adding to Our Faith: Love

The Architect' Plan
"Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, 'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.'" (Genesis 22:1-2)

This is a familiar passage of scripture to us.  It reminds of  Abraham's faith, Isaac's submission, and God's
provision.  It is truly an incredible story.

At this point in His-story, we understand it to be the type for what God had ordained as a sacrifice "once for all" and we know that the reality now exists in the sacrifice of Christ for the world.

Were you aware that this is the first place love is mentioned in the scripture?

Isn't it interesting that the first reference to love addresses giving up that which is loved?  What is God trying to show us here?

Among other things, I believe He wants us to understand that there is nothing that love will withhold in obedience to God's will.  Some will claim this makes God seem harsh and arbitrary but that is not the case.  God knew the end of the story before He issued the order to Abraham.

God knew too that in this event He was communicating to us that there is nothing that, in love, He would withhold from us; not even the life of "His only begotten Son."  Love gives what is required, and often more.

As much as Abraham loved Isaac, he loved God more.  He refused to make an idol of this child of the covenant.  It is a lesson that many a parent in our time needs to learn, but that is a subject for another day.

It is essential to understand what God means by "love" or we may miss the true significance of what God intends for us in our daily walk.

Love is not some mushy sentimental feeling.  To the contrary, it often requires hard, agonizing choices.  Love
demands that priorities be set and followed.  Love demands commitment and purpose regardless of how it is
perceived by those who witness it.  Love is the highest expression of holiness, for to love in this own heart.  This kind of love can never be expressed in terms of human will.  It is only born of God.  It is a gift of the Spirit that comes as we take up our cross and follow "in His steps."

The Carpenter's Corner
"Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you." (John 15:9-14)

What incredible words ... think about them!  Jerome records that John's teaching was saturated with this message.  Even in his last years when he had to be carried to the assembly, his constant message was, "Little children, love one another."  He said it so frequently that they grew weary of hearing it and asked him why he admonished them so often.  He replied, "Because it is the commandment of the Lord, and the observation of it alone is sufficient."

Love is the ultimate working of the life of faith.  If we are not growing in love, we cannot be growing in faith.  It's that simple.

Christ said the greatest expression of love was to lay down one's life for their friends.  Then He laid down His life for His enemies, giving us the supreme example of love.

Too often we think of this passage with a sense of altruism.  We imagine ourselves in some catastrophic setting in which we might be called to make what is sometimes called the ultimate sacrifice. But I think Christ has more in mind than simply being willing to physically die for another.  I believe He is reaching for the core of who we are by asking us to sacrifice our will, our purposes and our plans, first for Him and then for one another: each seeking the good of the other.

My own experience suggests that there are times I would find it easier to take a bullet for my wife than to do the little things which have a way of interrupting what I would rather be doing do at that moment.  Living for
another's benefit is laying down your life for them, as much as dying for them.

Love demands that we be ready to do both!  Christ demonstrates this to us in that He always did the will of the
Father.  He denied what was to His own benefit from a worldly point of view.  His every action was calculated to benefit others to the glory of the Father.  His death became the supreme example because it flowed from a life of self-denial: not for the sake of self-denial but "...for the joy set before Him."

The love of Christ compels us to do no less!

The Foreman's Forum
"But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13)

This familiar verse from Corinthians calls our attention to the "Love Chapter" of the New Testament.  We are very familiar with its words, but we could benefit by spending more time contemplating them.  Let's take a brief look at  what Paul has to say on the subject.

He opens with the remarkable observation that it doesn't matter what you do, how much you sacrifice, or how
much you deny yourself, if you do so out of the wrong motivation.  Let's get that message clearly in focus: if you do a good thing for the wrong reason it is of absolutely no value to you from a spiritual perspective.

Others may benefit from your deeds but such actions are chaff to you.  Or worse, they may serve to build you up in pride.  It is imperative that our actions be out of love if we are to gain the benefit that God intends for us to have through them.

Paul says love is not jealous of others, boastful or arrogant.  It isn't rude or self-seeking.  It isn't easily provoked and it doesn't keep score.  It never rejoices over unrighteousness: never!

On the other side of the coin, love is patient and kind.  It rejoices in the truth and because it does it bears, believes, hopes and endures all things (Note: "bear" here has the idea of covering as found in 1 Peter 4:8 though the Greek word is different).

The capstone is found in verse 8, "Love never fails."

Love can never fail because it is God's very nature and His purposes will be fulfilled.  From our limited perspective it may seem at times that love is taking a beating; it looked that way at Calvary.

But more is going on than meets the eye and Love will never fail!  In fact, Paul says it is one of three abiding gifts.  Faith allows us to see the see the value of obedience to God.  Hope allows us to see and claim the eternal so as to live faithfully.  And love empowers us to exhibit the grace that is ours through Christ alone.  No gift is greater than the gift of love and the greatest love is laying down one's life for another.

It is a foolish economy in the eyes of the world.  But the view from eternity is quite different.  When the world
would distract us with promises of an easy path, we must choose to walk the path of love, for it is there we come to know the comfort of the cross.

The Carpenter's Toolbox
This issue brings us to the end of our look at 2 Peter 1:5-7 which deals with the faith supplements we need to grow in grace.  It is of little surprise that this final element is an all encompassing one: love.

A quick review is in order as we come to the end of this study.  In the opening verses of this chapter, Peter
acknowledges that God Who has called us has granted to us "everything pertaining to life and godliness" in Christ.  It is "[b]y His own glory and  excellence" that He has given us  "His precious and magnificent promises" so that we could "become partakers of His divine nature."

Wow ...  that's quite a package!  Peter says that is the reason we should be diligent about our faith.  Flabby faith is not acceptable, it must be well exercised and developed and he shows us how.

Faith allows us to begin to see things as they really are: especially how we appear before Almighty God.  The first call is to exhibit the virtue or moral excellence of Christ who has redeemed us.  Seeking to do so demands increased knowledge of the Truth which is embodied in Christ alone.

But knowledge alone is not enough, self-control must be exercised so that knowledge is acted upon properly. 
Perseverance is then necessary so that we continue in that level of understanding to which we have attained.

The goal of perseverance is not to see how many reps we can do, it is to work godliness in us.  In short, it is to
conform us to the image of Christ.  It goes beyond just doing and transforms our very nature.  So equipped, we are prepared to reach out to others.

The first outreach is to the family of God in brotherly kindness.  Once we have experienced God's love and grown in the love of the brethren, God is able to use us as instruments of His grace to the world at large.

The more we grow in faith, the more we grow in love and the more useful we become in service to God.  We must not get the cart before the horse.  Service alone will never produce love.  It may produce good things but it will not work love in us.  To the contrary it may well result in pride.

Still, one cannot love and fail to serve.  Much of the Christian world today is plagued by the two extremes: 1) those who serve thinking their service will produce love and 2) those who profess to love but rarely if ever are of real service to God, their brethren or the world at large.

Both are dangerous in spiritual terms.  I suppose it could be argued that in the former case at least others are
helped, but that is of little comfort to the one who emerges from the Refiner's fire only to see their life's labor
burned up.

One who professes to know Christ as Lord and Savior and yet does not exhibit the work of love in their life suffers from a serious problem.  It is impossible to abide in the love of Christ and not bear the fruit of love.

The lives of those who have professed faith for years with no evidence of fruit-bearing are a testimony against their own professed faith.  Continued fruitless Christian living is not possible.  It is not possible because God gives the increase.  The results of our labors may not be known in our lifetime or ever.  But the work of God should be clearly evident in us as we confront the world with the gospel of Christ.

The Chronicles of Christian Skywatcher
To behold Skywatcher in action can, at times, be to witness a virtual lovefest.  He is the epitome of involvement.  No opportunity gets by him.  After all, he sees every occasion as a real opportunity to further his cause.

Publicly, he is involved in civic organizations by the dozen.  He is the first to volunteer to lead some noble effort and thereby build his name recognition and contact list.  He can recite with great pride all that has been
accomplished under his capable leadership.

Privately, the story is quite different.  Those he has left in his wake are often a silent testimony to the damage he has done to himself, others, and ultimately to the cause of Christ.

Those who know him well can relate how minor mistakes on their part have grown into broken relationships
because he is unwilling to love and forgive.  Those who may have opposed his ideas or suggestions see the warmth of his greeting abandoned for a deliberate attempt to avoid eye contact.

He's a scorekeeper.  He doesn't get mad; he gets even ... or better yet, one up.  And he does so with pride and
gusto.

If he puts others before himself, you can be sure it is because he fears he is walking into danger and he wants to be able to high-tail it while others take the hit.  Self-preservation is his game, not self denial.

Skywatcher is Number One in his world and woe be to anyone who dares to challenge that position.  Every move is calculated to maximize the benefit he will receive.  If the cost is greater than the benefit, count him out.

He would never call his attitude by its real name, but it is the antithesis of love and it is the instrument of the
Serpent.  He lives in a world of false promises and empty dreams and for all all his labor he will end life empty
handed.  He will be among those who protest, "Lord, Lord ..." but the hollow echo of eternity will resound with, "Depart from Me, I never knew you."

The Apprentice's Journal
Years ago the Gaithers released, "I Am Loved" and the words speak to me today as they did then:

         I am loved, I am loved, I can risk loving you;
         For the One who knows me best, loves me most.
                                

   I am loved, you are loved, won't you please take my hand;
         We are free to love each other, we are loved.
                                

My life is marked by many times when the love of God has been ministered to me by others.  From the care and concern of parents and family, to the instruction and correction of the family of God, His love has always been near.

How true it is that the greatest love is demonstrated by those who know us best! It is usually our mate and our children who get to see who we really are most often.  How blessed we are to be known, "warts and all," and still be loved.

No one knows us like our heavenly Father, yet John proclaims, " See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are." (1 John 3:1)

The greatest expressions of love we receive from others pale in comparison to the love that God has extended to us in Christ.  How much time do we spend searching the depths of that love?  The more we understand His love for us, the more we are able to share that love with others.  That is our calling.

Life is full of hurts: angry words, missed opportunities, unspoken words, bad decisions, severed relationships, betrayals, disappointments, and the list goes on.  Our happiness depends upon how we deal with these.

If we choose, we can use them as an occasion for bitterness and resentment, but that is not the path of love and it will never lead to happiness.

How much better it is to choose to love!  Making that choice opens the door to healing and happiness.  Some say that forgiveness is forgetting and I suppose in the eternal sense that has some validity.

It is more realistic and practical to me to think of forgiveness as remembering, in a new way, that which previously caused us pain.  When love is allowed to do its work in us and our relationships, the pain begins ebb as we see how God uses even the worst of circumstances to our benefit, and His glory.

That is why the path of love is so essential for the Christian.

To borrow an old illustration, love allows us to turn lemons into lemonade.  What once brought bitterness is
transformed into that which is sweet and refreshing.  The old memory is swallowed up in the new experience.

Because of our new nature in Christ, we can always choose to love.  It is often hard to make that choice, but as we grow in grace we find that making it brings us freedom and happiness.

The old nature still seeks to rise from its grave to haunt us.  As long as we are in the flesh we will struggle with it.  I think of it  in terms of snake that has just been killed.  While its reflexes are still functional, it can still bite you if you are not careful.  It is dead, but it still represents a threat to you.

The flesh must be dealt with carefully.  Most of us can testify to the dangers of letting down our guard in this respect.  Thanks be to God that the blood of Christ continually cleanses us from all unrighteousness as we repent and confess.

Our ability to love is dependent upon our willingness to receive love.  We cannot give what we will not receive. 
Understanding the depth of our need enables us to glimpse the depth of God's love.  It is good to take an inventory from time to time and  recall how much God and others have forgiven us. Those who understand how much they have been forgiven, love the most.

The result of loving is increased happiness, and increased happiness confirms our faith and makes it stronger.  That brings us full circle in our study of 2 Peter 1:5-7, and our increased faith allows us to see more clearly our need for virtue, and the cycle repeats.

It is an endless spiral staircase that takes us to a higher plain each time.  See you at the top!

      For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
        they render you neither useless nor unfruitful 
         in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ
                          2 Peter 1:8

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