Love & Lent

For those who take time over the 40 days of Lent to reflect on Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, yesterday marked the beginning of that journey. 

It didn't surprise me, then, that my thoughts turned, automatically to John 3:16.

Such a familiar passage.

Sometimes, so familiar we take it for granted, but nothing is more Lenten than reflecting on this incredible verse that is the gospel in twenty-four words (above). 

Because it's so familiar, here's a more modern paraphrase of the verse to ponder:

"Because God loved the world so deeply, He gave His one and only Son as a gift, so that anyone who believes in Him can have eternal life and not be lost (AI generated paraphrase)."

This version has thirty-two words; but no matter what version you read, there are two key words on which I want to focus.

The first, of course, is the word "love."

This is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word I've been studying, "HESED." 

In Greek it is "AGAPE," (unconditional, steadfast, expect-nothing-in-return, quick-to-forgive love). 

The second word is "gave."

MANY YEARS BACK, when I was serving as Dean of Women at Arizona Christian University, I remember sitting in my counseling office when a young husband asked for an appointment.

This was rare.

I almost never talked with the men, because as Dean of Women, I came alongside the gals to encourage, admonish, counsel, and, often, explain.

But this young man who hadn't been married long, found himself in a predicament.

He'd gotten himself caught (I don't even know if that's the right word, really) in an affair and his young wife was ready to walk away. 

I quickly caught on that he was hoping to justify the situation to me, to help me see everything from his perspective, then explain it all away to his wife. 

Instead, I kept asking clarifying questions, which he couldn't really answer in his own favor.

One of the last questions I asked was, "Do you love this girl (the one with whom he had an affair)?"

His response, "Well, she made me feel...." 

For this young fella, love looked like how he felt..

It looked like what someone else could do FOR him.

"I love because I felt: _________________(cared for, good, special, wanted, valued, accepted, agreed with - fill in the blank)."

In fact, in these days, for many -

Love = how I feel in your presence.

Love is me-centered.

Love is you loving me to the degree that I love myself.

But that's not what I read in John 3:16. 

I went on and asked him to fill in the blank of this very familiar verse I was about to quote:

"For God so loved the world, He __________________...."

Immediately, no need to think, he correctly responded, "gave."

In God's economy, in KINGDOM CULTURE, love looks like my willingness to SACRIFICE.

Love is measured in "giving away." 

Love is other's centered!

Life lesson on "hesed/agape" - "HESED" always gives. 

It is always sacrificial.

This is first and foremost before my needs, my wants.

God loves me in spite of what I do for Him, or how I please Him, or how I make Him feel.

In fact, in spite of me....God still loves me. 

God loves me so much He gave (Jesus), and continues to give, blessing after blessing no matter what I do in return.

Human love can't ever, really, match this kind of Christ-like-love. 

We can try.

We can come close (remember, there's no greater love than this: that a man lay's down his life for his friends - John 15:13)...

But God's HESED, gives and gives and gives and gives, again and again.

Endlessly.

Ponder that this Lenten Season.

It's partly why as a part of Lent, we "sacrifice" something in a fast (as an offering unto the Lord). Doing so helps us to remember this very aspect of God's love:

HESED: it's all about the sacrifice!