Through the life and ministry of Jesus, Jesus invested his life, Jesus invested his love! Rather than moving away from people who were broken and even angry he moved toward them – toward us.
John 12:23-24 tells us he moved toward us willingly, and was completely and unequivocally prepared to die for those he loved. This act is an expression of the Father heart of God toward us. As I have said on this before, God’s actions in and through Jesus was a wilful act of God to deposit life, salvation, healing, strength into us.
God committed himself to us, with the hope that we might commit ourselves to him, that we might commit our lives toward one another.
The gospel tells us that Jesus was willing to take a bullet for us and now because of the covenant he established with us he asks us – are we willing to take a bullet for those we love for those with which we share this covenant?
A culture of honour requires of us that we be like Jesus who died for us even when he didn’t get to control what we did with the gift of His life.
We don’t get to control what people do with the love we gift them. All we get to control is ourselves. What we are responsible for, in our primary relationships and in the body of Christ, is that we always ‘keep our love on’ no matter what it costs.
Our responsibility to one another is that we tell the truth, in the manner of Jesus , about how we are affected by the people in our lives. Our part in ’a culture of honour’, in this covenant of love’ is that we not be passive victims but rather be that we be powerful and free and never turn our love off.
The parable of the ‘prodigal son’s probably the best illustration on how to act toward someone who has blown up their life. The prodigal son, in the eyes of the father, is always his son no matter how offensive he has been or how badly he has lived how badly he has blown up his life. In the Father’s eyes he is always important, he is always of high value. When the son returns its the father who moves toward the son. In this interaction the Father has died to self and the son has died to self – there has been a change in the son’s mind and heart about what matters. The son has moved from deliberate disconnection to connection.
He comes willing to clean up his mess. Does the father know what the son is going to do with his restoration? Not at all. Yet he keeps his love on!
Is the father just? Should not the son have been punished? In the covenant of law – Yes. In the covenant of love – No. It is not us who get to judge and condemn and hand out punishment.
Our role is always to move toward others with deposits of love and strength, always contending for connection because when we do we release blessing, capacity freedom, creativity and trust. In this environment people thrive because there is no fear.
Mark Dewar