Jesus Christ calls us to discipleship that is passionate, but not fanatical! He says that even the most powerful human love, that for family, will appear like hatred in comparison to our love for Him. “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." (Matthew 10:37-38, NIV) Strong words, aren’t they? But He, does not summon us to mindless fanaticism.
Tim Keller says that the difference between religion and the Gospel is that one leads to a loving life, the other to exclusive fanaticism. Religion is built around ‘advice on how you must live to earn your way to God. … if you follow it faithfully and completely, you’ll believe that you have a connection with God… you’ll feel superior to people who have wrong living. If you feel superior to them, … it makes it easier to exclude them, then to hate them, and ultimately to oppress them. …The Gospel isn’t advice: it’s the good news that you don’t need to earn your way to God, that Jesus has already done it for you.’ (King’s Cross, 2011) There’s no ground for superiority in the Gospel and therefore when we meet those who do not yet believe we will serve them, try to invite them to know Him, too. We will never fanatically oppress them for we know that love cannot be forced, only received!
The answer often prescribed for fanaticism is moderation. But, true love is never moderate! Who would want to be in love with a person who carefully calculated the cost and perception of his expressions of affection? I love Bev with a crazy love. I’m drawn to her, spend myself for her, without thought about whether my love is reasonable or costly. But, I am not fanatical about loving her. If you knew her, you would like her, too. It’s my privilege to introduce her to you, but I feel no compulsion to force you to agree with me about her value, her attractiveness. Do you love Jesus that way? Is He your Life? Love Him wholeheartedly and singlemindedly. That is not fanaticism; it’s passion.
Here’s a word from the Word. May it renew our passionate love for our Savior and Lord. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure." (1 John 3:1-3, NIV) "This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another." (1 John 3:11, NIV) "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death." (1 John 3:14, NIV)
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O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me,
Is the current of Thy love,
Leading onward, leading homeward,
To my glorious rest above!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Spread His praise from shore to shore!How He loveth, ever loveth,
Changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o'er His loved ones,
Died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth,
Watcheth o'er them from the throne!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
Love of ev'ry love the best!'Tis an ocean full of blessing,
'Tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
'Tis a heav'n of heav'ns to me;
And it lifts me up to glory,
For it lifts me up to Thee!
Amen.
O The Deep Deep Love Of Jesus
Francis, Samuel Trevor / Williams, Thomas J.© Public Domain
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