Boundless Love

Consider this. A king comes to power after years of being relentlessly pursued by his predecessor. His rival is killed in battle, along with most of his family; but now the king discovers a lone surviving prince—the grandson of the former king. He sends his soldiers to bring his adversary’s heir to appear before him. The young prince is terrified. He is certain that his life is in jeopardy. As he steels himself to receive his sentence, these are the words he hears: “Don’t be afraid! … I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!” (2 Samuel 9:7)

King David had received abundant grace from God for many years. Jonathan, Saul’s son and Mephibosheth’s father, had shown grace to David when his life was first threatened as Saul’s jealousy grew to rage. Now David shows astonishing grace and generosity to his rival’s descendant.

Now consider this: A religious leader marries a woman who has clearly lived a life of unfaithfulness. Once they are married, she begins to have children, but they are unquestionably not his own. He welcomes each of these children into his life and cares for them; even as his heart breaks with every additional indiscretion of his wife. She leaves him and becomes the slave of another. He is prepared to go on without her; but this is the word he hears from God: “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them” (Hosea 3:1).

Hosea was called to demonstrate the astonishing grace of God in the particularly personal and painful events of his life. The example of the grace he showed his unfaithful wife gave added power and authority to the word he brought to the people of Israel.

Why is the grace of God more amazing than ever? Because we can never fully grasp “how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is” (Ephesians 3:18). God’s love for you is truly boundless. May God’s love fill you with peace and work in you “to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20b).

A Season of Grace

When you cross some people, you may wonder if there is any way you can make it right again. You think through the cordial words you hope will convince them of your sincerity. You consider gifts that might serve as a fitting peace offering. You wonder if there is some good deed you could do for them to show you are committed to restoring your relationship. Perhaps you do it all, but you still know they hold the offense against you.

Some people believe God is like that. They believe God will not forgive them for something they have done. Here’s the truth: ”If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Why will God forgive you? Because God practices grace.

Lent is a season of preparation and repentance. For some it may feel like a heavy burden. I hope you will discover what has encouraged many others—the grace of God is still amazing. For the next few weeks as we move toward Easter, we will be looking at the different aspects of God’s grace.

“My Chains Fell Off”
In John 8:31-36 Jesus promises to set us free.

“Scandalous Love”
In Luke 15:11-32 Jesus tells a story about an incredible love.

“At God’s Expense”
In Hebrews 9:11-12 you hear about the price God paid to save his people.

“Changing Places”
In 2 Corinthians 5:14-6:2 you read of God's plan for reconciliation.

“A Sure Defense”
In Romans 8:26-39 Paul encourages believers to remember the protection God provides in the midst of persecution, struggle and trial.

“Clearing Up the Confusion”
In Isaiah 50:4-9a you find words of deep assurance of God's continuing care.

“Freed by God’s Grace”
In Romans 6:1-14 Paul proclaims the good news that through the resurrection of Jesus Christ you can experience new life.

I pray that this season of prepartion will help you discover that grace is more amazing than ever.

A Bold Witness

Let’s be clear from the start. You cannot save anyone; and neither can I. As Peter was standing before the High Priest, other leaders, elders, and teachers of the Law of Moses in Jerusalem—just days after the Holy Spirit had filled them with great power; he told them unequivocally, “Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone” (Acts 4:12).

If that sounds narrow or absolute or exclusive, that’s because it is. Was Peter suffering from a lapse of triumphalism? Was he just trying to make his audience angry? Was he overstating his case? No! Peter was faithfully responding to the Holy Spirit by telling everyone who would listen what he had heard from Jesus himself: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me” (John 14:6).

If you know Jesus, if you confess Jesus as your Savior, if you put your whole trust in his grace, if you promise to serve him as your Lord; to make the most of your life you will make the most of every opportunity to share the single greatest gift you can give to your friends and family members—an introduction to the God who created them, loves them, and has a purpose for their lives.

Those opportunities are around you every day. You can develop friendships with people who are far from God. By listening to them and showing genuine concern, you can discover the stories behind their life’s journey. Through prayer and seeking direction from the Holy Spirit, you can discern what “next steps” will help point them to faith.

If you are struggling with your commitment to witness, let me suggest that you commit to know Jesus in a more personal way. Think about Jesus. Communicate with him day to day, even moment to moment, in prayer. Read his words, meditating on them and memorizing them; not out of ritual, but out of love. As you get to know him better, it will be easier for you to tell others what he means to you.

Pastor Bill Hybels reminds us, “Pointing people to faith is something all of us can do.” I am thankful for those people who pointed me toward God and for all of you who continue to lead people closer to God each day. I pray you will continue to be true to your commitment to witness.

Free to Give

Just admit it. If you are like most people, you believe that in order to have more you have to keep as much of what you get as you can. That’s the reason as soon as anyone makes even the slightest suggestion of how you might give some of what you’ve got to support their organization or advance their cause, you start looking for the nearest exit.

After all, you have your own organization to support and your own cause to advance; and it takes more and more to keep all those needs supplied each month—and who knows what it is going to take next month…or in six months.

You know that Jesus said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19); so you have hired an exterminator, packed it all in Space Bags®, and installed an advanced security system. You really are not interested in hearing much, if anything, about the benefits of generosity.

Before you go, let me ask you to consider that making the most of your commitment to give may be a key component of making the most of your life. Consider what Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap” (Luke 6:38). That certainly sounds like giving is not necessarily about ending up with less. Perhaps it does raise the question, though, of who gives to you.

Giving begins with God. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son” (John 3:16). God is the infinite and perfect Giver. Giving is integral to who God is. Giving is central to God’s character. When you give you identify with God and reflect God’s likeness.

Giving is at the heart of the Christian life, at the heart of the Gospel, and at the heart of God. God gives everything that has value. God gave you life—physical life in the blood that courses through your body, and spiritual life in the blood of his son, Jesus Christ. God has set the pattern for giving, and there is no worthier goal than to give like God gives.

Consider this, too: when you give like God—and when you get the benefit and the blessing of giving like that—what you are actually giving is not yours. Everything belongs to God. He has only placed it in your care for a season. May that paradox liberate you from the bondage of trying to accumulate as much as you can or striving to constantly have bigger and better things than your neighbors.

The Mark of a Christian

People have found a lot of different ways to let other people know they are Christians. Some of them wear t-shirts with a scripture passage printed on it or a clever statement that might spark a conversation about faith. Some folks wear a cross on a chain around their neck. You may have noticed cars around town with various emblems representing the owners’ church affiliation. Then there are the paperweights, wall plaques, and coffee mugs people use to indicate their affection for their heavenly father.

Jesus wanted the world to notice his disciples. The last evening he spent with them he told them, “This is the way all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 12:35). Even though, Jesus told them that this was a new command for them; if they had been paying attention to his teaching and his example, it shouldn’t have caught them entirely by surprise.

Jesus had said on several occasions that loving God and loving others were central to living a life that would please God. Throughout his ministry Jesus had reached out to people who were forgotten, neglected and lonely. He had healed men and women who had resigned themselves to being defined by their disease. He had encouraged people to leave behind the habits that had made a mess of their relationships. And at the end of his life, Jesus had demonstrated the depth of his love by forgiving those who were responsible for his agonizing death.

So, how do people know that you are a Christian? Theologian Francis A. Schaeffer sums it up like this: “Love is the mark Christ gave Christians to wear before the world. Only with this mark may the world know that Christians are indeed Christians and that Jesus was sent by the Father.” It would seem, then, that spending some time considering what that love looks like would be worthwhile.

What does love look like? Is it heart-shaped box in various shades of pink filled with a variety of chocolate candies? Or a frilly card decorated with lace and scented with perfume? Or a bouquet of roses spilling out of an elegant crystal vase?

Perhaps Paul gives us the most thorough description of the love Jesus commands in his first letter to the Corinthians (13:1-15). “Love is patient,…” he begins. Making the most of your life means making the most of your commitment to love like this. Is that the kind of love that marks your life? I pray you love more like that each day.

Setting Your Course

For many people “commitment” is a dirty word. They are reluctant to make commitments to anything or anyone. You would be hard pressed to get them to commit to attend an event, join an organization, or even accompany you on a pleasure trip. They may even tell you they just like to keep their options open.

I confess there have been moments when I have envied such people. They seem so free and unconstrained. But there is a problem with being so open to going in any direction. As Yogi Berra said, “If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.”

Your commitments do define your course in life. They take you in a definite direction. They are clear sign of what is most important to you as they guide your everyday actions. Unfortunately, you may have made commitments that compete with one another. You feel stuck in an endless quandary—wondering which way to go next. In order to make the most of your life you need to make sure your commitments are moving you toward the life God wants for you—a life full of joy, blessing, and peace.

Your commitments are so important that we are going to spend a few weeks looking at some of the most important commitments of those who faithfully follow Christ:

·The commitment to give help to those who need your compassion and assistance.
·The commitment to give your money and resources, wisely investing to reap a spiritual reward.
·The commitment to give the truth of the gospel to those who ask the reason for your hope in Jesus Christ.
·And, above all, the commitment to give the gift of love to all God’s children—the gift that transcends all others in value and importance.

As you consider these essential commitments, I pray you will carefully consider what you will say “yes” and “no” to in the days ahead. The commitments you make really do matter. I would hate for you to discover you were headed “somewhere else.”

Making the Most of Your Money

From trying to figure out how to order the best meal from the dollar menu to deciding how to invest the funds in their retirement accounts people spend a lot of time and energy trying to make the most of their money and their possessions. What is particularly interesting is that some people who rarely pay any attention to their relationships with other people, or who rarely exercise their talents (and never for the benefit of someone other than themselves) are the same people who are obsessed with keeping an account of every dollar they make and spend.

It is important to be careful with the assets you have. John Wesley taught that economical living and responsible spending was a duty. In his sermon, “The Use of Money,” Wesley suggested three rules that every believer should follow: 1. Gain all you can. 2. Save all you can. 3. Give all you can. He went on to give an example of such a life without ever mentioning that the person being described was himself.

"[He] had thirty pounds a year. He lived on twenty-eight and gave away forty shillings. The next year receiving sixty pounds, he still lived on twenty-eight, and gave away two-and-thirty. The third year, he received ninety pounds, and gave away sixty-two. The fourth year he received a hundred and twenty pounds."

For four years, Wesley lived on the same amount, twenty-eight pounds. As his income increased, he gave the surplus away, regardless of how much it amounted to or what percentage of his income it was. For Wesley this was his way to honor Jesus command: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19-21).

Wesley wasn’t opposed to his followers earning a lot of money, but he knew that making the most of your life meant having the right relationship with the assets God entrusts to you. The monetary and material assets in your life are to be invested in a way that brings the greatest return in spiritual terms. As you make those decisions, it is essential that you are committed to God’s purposes, that you understand God’s principles, and that you follow God’s plan.