The Great I AM – the all-seeing, all-knowing, all-sufficient, all-encompassing, all-wise, all-powerful, all-majestic, all-perfection, all-holy One dwelt in a realm our human minds cannot grasp. Isaiah glimpsed it – the Throne room with angels, 24/7/365-1/4, crying, “Holy, holy, holy…the earth is full of His glory!” – the train that fills…, the incense, the fragrance, the worship, the purity, the aura, the perfection, the altar, and the coals from off the altar… (Isaiah 6) Heaven’s splendor is beyond human imagination. Yet all that God is – He laid aside and took on Himself human flesh – because of love!
The angels were created to worship and they pleased Him. But He longed for full fellowship with someone who would choose Him above all other attractions. So, He created a perfect environment and placed a perfect candidate in it – one with whom He could freely fellowship – because of love!
How He enjoyed that fellowship, those walks and talks in the cool of the day. His heart knew great joy in those days. Yet, all-knowing, all-seeing, He watched as Eve listened to the serpent and Adam joined her. He watched as they believed the lie and tore fig leaves away from their life source, making a futile covering of dead things. The rupture of the fellowship He had with Adam was more painful to Him than it was to Adam. Something had to be done to restore that fellowship and there was only one solution. (It had been planned before time.) His love constrained Him.
Webster says constrained is to compel by physical, moral, or circumstantial force; oblige.] He instituted blood covering for sin. Mankind continued wayward. Noah found grace. Abraham chose to follow freely. That choice caused God to covenant with him and his children. But weakness was deeply imbedded. God’s chosen people, Israel, also fell. Idolatry, pride and fullness of bread pulled them away from their Life Source. In their folly, they made coverings of dead things. (Isaiah 28:20; 30:1) They too, believed the lie that mankind could somehow engineer his own salvation by human means.
Sad to say, even with all these examples of what not to do, we are no different. We still listen to the lie, thinking that by our goodness or by some chance of Divine oversight or neglect, we can cruise into a relationship based on our priorities and agendas. It never ceases to amaze me how persistent He is. “For God so loved…” His love constrains Him.
Knowing full well the price reconciliation would exact, Holy God, who was all-powerful, placed Himself “in the hands of sinful men” (Luke 24:7) and because of that love, He allowed them to do with Him as they would. Beaten, mocked, spat on, tortured, crucified and buried – man did his worst. What those Roman soldiers did that day was an open acting out of what mankind has been doing all along. “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Hebrews lets us know where His priorities were. “For the joy that was set before Him – He endured the cross, despising the shame!” (Hebrews 12:2-3) Note that the joy to come was first and foremost in His mind. All the rest was something to be endured, to be considered as nothing by comparison.
Man’s mess required God’s best. His love, His desire for Heart to heart fellowship – not just here and now, but for all eternity – constrained Him to bridge the awful gulf. (Colossians 1:21-22) There was no way for us to reach to Him but He willingly bankrupted heaven to make a way out of no way… All because of love!
The angels were created to worship and they pleased Him. But He longed for full fellowship with someone who would choose Him above all other attractions. So, He created a perfect environment and placed a perfect candidate in it – one with whom He could freely fellowship – because of love!
How He enjoyed that fellowship, those walks and talks in the cool of the day. His heart knew great joy in those days. Yet, all-knowing, all-seeing, He watched as Eve listened to the serpent and Adam joined her. He watched as they believed the lie and tore fig leaves away from their life source, making a futile covering of dead things. The rupture of the fellowship He had with Adam was more painful to Him than it was to Adam. Something had to be done to restore that fellowship and there was only one solution. (It had been planned before time.) His love constrained Him.
Webster says constrained is to compel by physical, moral, or circumstantial force; oblige.] He instituted blood covering for sin. Mankind continued wayward. Noah found grace. Abraham chose to follow freely. That choice caused God to covenant with him and his children. But weakness was deeply imbedded. God’s chosen people, Israel, also fell. Idolatry, pride and fullness of bread pulled them away from their Life Source. In their folly, they made coverings of dead things. (Isaiah 28:20; 30:1) They too, believed the lie that mankind could somehow engineer his own salvation by human means.
Sad to say, even with all these examples of what not to do, we are no different. We still listen to the lie, thinking that by our goodness or by some chance of Divine oversight or neglect, we can cruise into a relationship based on our priorities and agendas. It never ceases to amaze me how persistent He is. “For God so loved…” His love constrains Him.
Knowing full well the price reconciliation would exact, Holy God, who was all-powerful, placed Himself “in the hands of sinful men” (Luke 24:7) and because of that love, He allowed them to do with Him as they would. Beaten, mocked, spat on, tortured, crucified and buried – man did his worst. What those Roman soldiers did that day was an open acting out of what mankind has been doing all along. “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Hebrews lets us know where His priorities were. “For the joy that was set before Him – He endured the cross, despising the shame!” (Hebrews 12:2-3) Note that the joy to come was first and foremost in His mind. All the rest was something to be endured, to be considered as nothing by comparison.
Man’s mess required God’s best. His love, His desire for Heart to heart fellowship – not just here and now, but for all eternity – constrained Him to bridge the awful gulf. (Colossians 1:21-22) There was no way for us to reach to Him but He willingly bankrupted heaven to make a way out of no way… All because of love!
“Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan,
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man,
Oh, the awful gulf that God did span –
At Calvary!”
1 comment:
What a beutiful post Sister. I know you were talking about Gods love towards us and certainly that is a very beautiful thing but I couldnt hep but think about how we can perpetuate that same love by giving it away to others. Charity never fails....
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