I wonder what it would have been like for Christ to look down from the Cross to see his followers holding the coat of the soldier who had pierced his side or passing out beverages to the one who had scourged Him. What would it have been like if He would have looked down to see that the soldier nailing his feet was a man who had followed Him for a time?
I know I’m walking a fine line here and some of you have already been lost at the opening of this blog. I totally understand – after all, we are commanded to love our enemies and do well to those who despitefully use us. While this writing gets into some nitty-gritty areas, I know that the powerful love of Christ is greater than any sin ever committed - there is no one beyond His reach.
My thought today is along the lines of love versus enabling. Where is the boundary between the two? What does one look like as opposed to the other?
I’m sure the heart of Christ could not have been more broken as He hung on the Cross dying for the human race. But just think for a moment if His heart could have been more broken… no doubt, it would have been completely shattered to see His beloved disciples participating in the action of nailing Him to the Cross. They did not - but I fear that sometimes we do under a misguided understanding of "loving people to Christ". A misguided concept which seems prevelent in some Christian circles.
Can you imagine holding the hammer or spikes for the soldier nailing His hands or feet? What about standing by with towel to wipe the brow or a fresh shirt for the one scourging the Master? Would it seem odd to offer a refreshing drink to him? After all he’d worked hard to scourge Christ and surely needed water after answering such a demanding task.
Of course these pictures are blindingly painful for those loyal to the Lord; we would never do such preposterous things! Although we understand how necessary His death on the Cross; it is maddening to think of such wavering loyalty! How incredibly frustrating to think of being so mistaken in the concept of what love for our fellow man actually is. In our desire to show love to our fellow man do we sometimes help them keep Christ on the cross in their daily lives?
I want to explore some benchmarks of love and some of enablement.
Love: Choosing the right thing, even when it’s hard. How do you know what’s right? The right thing is the hard thing. Sometimes it may mean saying things another doesn’t want to hear in order to redirect them in following God’s Word. Love means working to focus people on the eternal, not the temporal. Christ showed love by choosing the hard thing. He prayed, “…not my will but yours be done.” He did not focus on temporal things by keeping himself from the physical pain and torture of the Cross, but he focused on eternal things by giving His life. He must be our Example! Love focuses on eternal outcomes.
Enablement: might be a kind of “don’t rock the boat” attitude or tolerance, which would be in direct conflict with the Great Commission. A “I can’t change it so I might as well just be okay with it” position - in which one chooses to embrace a socially acceptable lifestyle in spite of the eternal consequences. It is embracing sin to keep friendships and relationships or even giving practical assistance to someone so they can continue in active rebellion to God’s Word. Enablement means to focus on the temporal while the eternal dims in view.
Just now some words to a song I sang as a pre-teen came to mind. It’s titled, ‘Feel the Nails’. In the chorus these words are sung, “…I just can’t bear the thought of hurting Him…” in the second verse “…what if He relives the agony He felt on that tree…” We should strive to live holy through the power of the resurrected Christ and not just stay in the power of His Cross. Many who are believed to be Christians live almost only in the power of the Cross where they habitually sin under a misguided definition of grace.
Living in Him means victory over sin, and a deep rooted desire to follow Him in all areas of our life. I want to love my fellow man and bring them into the Kingdom without enabling them to keep Christ on the Cross in their lives. Speak the Truth in love and for those hearts who will receive – the Holy Spirit will begin a work.
My prayer today is: “Lord, keep me willing to really love, to choose the hard things and focus on eternal outcomes. Chasten me when I become overly concerned about temporal things. I want to serve You honestly and transparently. I want to reach my fellow man lovingly for the glory and honor of You, Lord Jesus. Be glorified, Lord, in this vessel. Amen.”
I know I’m walking a fine line here and some of you have already been lost at the opening of this blog. I totally understand – after all, we are commanded to love our enemies and do well to those who despitefully use us. While this writing gets into some nitty-gritty areas, I know that the powerful love of Christ is greater than any sin ever committed - there is no one beyond His reach.
My thought today is along the lines of love versus enabling. Where is the boundary between the two? What does one look like as opposed to the other?
I’m sure the heart of Christ could not have been more broken as He hung on the Cross dying for the human race. But just think for a moment if His heart could have been more broken… no doubt, it would have been completely shattered to see His beloved disciples participating in the action of nailing Him to the Cross. They did not - but I fear that sometimes we do under a misguided understanding of "loving people to Christ". A misguided concept which seems prevelent in some Christian circles.
Can you imagine holding the hammer or spikes for the soldier nailing His hands or feet? What about standing by with towel to wipe the brow or a fresh shirt for the one scourging the Master? Would it seem odd to offer a refreshing drink to him? After all he’d worked hard to scourge Christ and surely needed water after answering such a demanding task.
Of course these pictures are blindingly painful for those loyal to the Lord; we would never do such preposterous things! Although we understand how necessary His death on the Cross; it is maddening to think of such wavering loyalty! How incredibly frustrating to think of being so mistaken in the concept of what love for our fellow man actually is. In our desire to show love to our fellow man do we sometimes help them keep Christ on the cross in their daily lives?
I want to explore some benchmarks of love and some of enablement.
Love: Choosing the right thing, even when it’s hard. How do you know what’s right? The right thing is the hard thing. Sometimes it may mean saying things another doesn’t want to hear in order to redirect them in following God’s Word. Love means working to focus people on the eternal, not the temporal. Christ showed love by choosing the hard thing. He prayed, “…not my will but yours be done.” He did not focus on temporal things by keeping himself from the physical pain and torture of the Cross, but he focused on eternal things by giving His life. He must be our Example! Love focuses on eternal outcomes.
Enablement: might be a kind of “don’t rock the boat” attitude or tolerance, which would be in direct conflict with the Great Commission. A “I can’t change it so I might as well just be okay with it” position - in which one chooses to embrace a socially acceptable lifestyle in spite of the eternal consequences. It is embracing sin to keep friendships and relationships or even giving practical assistance to someone so they can continue in active rebellion to God’s Word. Enablement means to focus on the temporal while the eternal dims in view.
Just now some words to a song I sang as a pre-teen came to mind. It’s titled, ‘Feel the Nails’. In the chorus these words are sung, “…I just can’t bear the thought of hurting Him…” in the second verse “…what if He relives the agony He felt on that tree…” We should strive to live holy through the power of the resurrected Christ and not just stay in the power of His Cross. Many who are believed to be Christians live almost only in the power of the Cross where they habitually sin under a misguided definition of grace.
Living in Him means victory over sin, and a deep rooted desire to follow Him in all areas of our life. I want to love my fellow man and bring them into the Kingdom without enabling them to keep Christ on the Cross in their lives. Speak the Truth in love and for those hearts who will receive – the Holy Spirit will begin a work.
My prayer today is: “Lord, keep me willing to really love, to choose the hard things and focus on eternal outcomes. Chasten me when I become overly concerned about temporal things. I want to serve You honestly and transparently. I want to reach my fellow man lovingly for the glory and honor of You, Lord Jesus. Be glorified, Lord, in this vessel. Amen.”
Comments