SQUEEZE OUT THE DROPS!

ABOUNDING IN LOVE MEANS EXCELLING IN LOVE

Main Readings: Matt 7:12, 1 Thess 3:12, 1 Cor. 13: 1-7

A.   Pre-Christ Love and Hatred for Enemies

What is more manifest in the OT is absence of love beyond the following:

·        Skin – Adam gives away Eve to save his skin, Cain slays own brother when irritated (Gen. 3:11-12, 4:8)

·        Kinship – Abram was magnanimous, but not when his kinsman nephew is attacked (Gen. 14:14-16)

·        Law and Duty – David would attack anything or anybody that jeopardized both animals and people under his charge (1 Sam. 27:11)

·        Reactive Reciprocity – Joshua, under the law was magnanimous only up to the point of keeping a covenant or obeying the law (they did unto others only what others were guaranteed to do unto them. See Josh. 9)

Beyond the above circles everybody else was considered an enemy even at the first instance of offence. It is rare to find people going out of their way to do acts of kindness or taking the first step to forgive wrongs done against them. Even though the spirit of the law’s promises guaranteed Divine provision for righteousness, their tendency was rather to acquire the contents of the promises by evil means.  Even though the spirit of the law required that they took care not to offend others, their general tendency was rather to seek retribution for offences committed against them. The scenarios of forgiveness in the OT were therefore rare and insincere (1 Kings 2:5-9)

B.    Christ’s Love and Love for Enemies

The Love of Christ, unlike the love of men, always takes the first steps to forgive, save and supply the needs others. It is no respecter of persons (family, tribe, nation, etc.) It is available for all, and does not receive the complaint of one to destroy the other. Christ taught that life under the new covenant required some self-preservation (Lk 17:3), kin-preservation (Mt 15:3-7), and excelling law and duty (Mt 5:17-20), but must be proactively reciprocal (sacrificial), in order to save (Mt 7:12) (Joh 15:13):

·        Jesus showed His sacrificial love in the following

o   Humility and gentleness: Accessibility and as  example in blamelessness (Matt. 11:28 cf. 1Pe 2:21, 1 Cor 13:1-7)

o   Presenting without compromise the Message of Salvation from sin (Joh 6)

o   Doing good to all manner of people – Samaritans, centurions, thieves and murderers

o   Sustenance for the work of Salvation – Preparing disciples for work with Holy Spirit

o   Paying the price for sin – Dying on the cross

·       Loving Enemies: Enemies are the reason why Jesus came – “… while we were yet sinners (enemies of God), Christ died for us!” (Rom 5:8) Jesus instructs that we should not consider people (other persons, tribes, nations, etc.) as enemies, but rather as sinners like ourselves who need God’s mercy. If we have found God’s mercy through repentance, we should act like God’s children by praying and working that they also may find same, even when they are actively persecuting (working against) us (Mt 5:43-45). We must not seek retribution for them like the people of old did. We will therefore be in danger of revoking God’s forgiveness if we fail to take steps to forgive those who offend and work against us (Mt. 6:15). Under no circumstance must we seek Divine intervention to destroy other people’s lives (Luke 9:54 – 56)

C.     Christian Love – Drops to Showers

Adam could not, and the generality of the people under the law seemed not required to love as Jesus did. The disciples of Jesus however, are. So what has changed? The answer is the empowerment by the Holy Spirit through the new birth, which was not available to the people before Christ. Now we have the seed of God in us and are capable of growing into His image. (See Rom. 8:3, Luke 4:18, Acts 10:38) A vivid characterization is how Jesus began full ministry only after His water baptism and the visible descent of the Holy Spirit upon Him. Love caps the fruit of the Spirit, which begins to show immediately when a person is born again but grows to make the believer resemble Christ more and more. With the new birth, Jesus begins to pour Himself into us. Our eagerness to share the initial drops with others makes Him fill us until the glass is full and overflowing. In all aspects we begin to act like Him.

Christian love does not depend on how much we have (how good we are known to be), but what we have (Christ in us). We must not wait till we are perfect before we overflow with Christ’s love. Let us squeeze out the drops. He will make us into a cloud that gives much showers. God is not interested in adding to stagnant water, even if it is just a drop!. Let the overflow begin now.

The unbelievers around us are singing,

Lord, I hear of showers of blessings,

You are scattering full and free.

Showers the weary land refreshing

Let some drops now fall on me

Are you willing to let them have at least drops? Yeah!