Determined Love
Imagine, if you will, that you are in a pile-up on the highway and gravely injured. I came upon you carrying a fully stocked medical kit, possessing the knowledge and the skill to treat you and rescue you from certain death. Still, instead, I simply said to you, poor thing, I’m so sorry. I hope you make it; if you try hard enough, you might be able to survive this.
Would you consider leaving you in that condition an act of loving you?
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
When we read this passage, we think of how sweet and marvelous it is that God loves us enough to send Jesus to die. But if we stop there and do not follow through to what His death is meant to accomplish on our behalf, we will only wax sentimental about God’s love without appropriating it.
Now, let’s go back to my earlier example and add this. When I come to help you with my resources, knowledge, and skill, you tell me I am wrong and start to insist I do it your way, and your way would end up killing you for sure. Would it be loving you to do it your way?
Sadly, many in our modern times are trying to define love in this way.
Jesus’ death is not meant to leave us in the condition of being sinners! Our belief in God’s love on display at the cross where Jesus died is meant to produce a supernatural transformation in us and move us out of darkness and into His kingdom of light and life. It does this when we truly believe as we should.
Even though love can be directed towards someone undeserving, it has no intention of leaving them in their broken condition, but it also will not force itself upon them. If the willingness of love to transform is rejected by the one needing it, the blessings and benefits of that love are not realized in that person’s life. They may go on to blame the person who tried to love them for being unloving. But their accusations are groundless and false.
If, in the example, we started with, I came upon you and was willing to help you, but you refused it, I would not be able to bless you with what I have to offer and would have to move to the next person in need of what I have to offer. Loving you does not force me to camp out where you are, trying again and again to get you to let me do for you what is most needed. It does not mean I have to hang out until you die. You know my offer of lovingly helping you still stands and that I am still in proximity or within calling distance, but I would be forced to leave your side, knowing others need what I have to offer if you reject my offer to you.
Determined love is not immobilized by the rejection of its offer, and it is not stuck with the person to whom the offer was made in order to prove it was love to start with. Determined love can move on to the next person in need with a readiness to turn and help the person who rejected its offer earlier when they humble themselves and ask for it without putting their own conditions on it.
Determined love has a goal of bringing the right solution to the situation of need. It does not come to the situation as a barterer or negotiator about what is needed. It already understands the need and knows what the solution is. It knows what it has to offer. God, in His love, has set the parameters on how it is to be received. His offer of eternal life is set to a one-way only. Jesus is that one-way. God’s determined love made provision for all to be saved, but in order to receive and benefit from that provision, a person must humbly ask for it on the terms on which it is presented.
