“Behold,” writes the apostle John, “what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us…” (1 John 3:1). I’ve been familiar with this beautiful scripture from the King James Version all my life but recently I was challenged by the New International Version: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us…” My attention was riveted by the word ‘lavish’. It sounded amazing, but what did it actually mean? The Oxford Dictionary gives us, ‘sumptuously rich, elaborate or luxurious’. Well, that certainly sounds like Yahweh, the Artistic Designer of our awesome world. However, do you feel as though His love has been lavished on you? No? It’s identified simply by the fact that He calls us His children.
I pondered the immensity of ‘lavish’ and decided to check how other translators defined it. They used ‘marvellous’, ‘incredible’, ‘remarkable’, ‘glorious’, ‘extravagant’, ‘amazing’. I found myself seriously challenged: did I really understand the sheer magnitude of the love willing to own me as a daughter? Do you understand the sumptuous love willing to call you ‘child’? At this point in my musings, I found myself stunned. There were no words to describe the enormity of my thoughts, only a sense of vastness around my heart and the precious warmth of my Father’s Presence. I sat perfectly still, releasing the need to understand, and luxuriating in Yahweh’s love.
The Bible is a book of love, the story of an Awesome Being Who wanted to create a family in a world He’d designed and made. It’s about people who loved and respected Him, and others who hated and despised Him. It’s about love and laughter and crime and punishment. This Awesome Being has His own rules for His own world. Obeying them unlocks an extravaganza of blessing and abundance. Disobedience exacts punishment. But no-one in this world was ever punished for something they hadn’t done - except once… when this Awesome Being allowed His own perfect Son to receive the punishment for everyone who had disobeyed but was sorry. It was a love-inspired sacrifice of extortionate cost, intrinsically connected to the Royal Family of which we are sons and daughters.
Image by Amore Seymour from Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/happy-father-father-family-baby-8828803/
The Test Of LoveWe look at our lives through a spiritual lens now, as we see how our actions as husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, friends and coaches, workers and employers relate to [Yahweh's] will.
Timothy Peck
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