There Are Great Lengths To God's Love

The problem is not that God is too extreme. The problem is that we are not extreme enough. We are deadly afraid of “extremes”. It’s as if it’s the last thing we want in our lives. Is it right for us to have the attitude that says, “I’m happy with the level of my faith where it is”? Is it right for us to not witness to Christ because we don’t know what to say or because we are too afraid? It is right for us to pray for persecution free lives, when God promises that he works persecutions out for our good? How would you feel if you had an employee who didn’t want your company to grow, because he didn’t want more work? Something isn’t right there. But that’s how we treat Christianity - I’ll be a Christian as long as it doesn’t require too much of me. So when God does push some, they respond by accusing God of pushing too hard - and reject him.

The truth of the matter is that God loves us too much to leave us where we are. And that’s the neat thing about his love. He loved this widow too much to let her faith just stop in knowing that God provided. He wanted her to know that He had power over life and death as well. He wanted her to know through the life of her son - that He would have the power and love to send another Son to live and die for her. God loves us to much to only give us what we want. He doesn’t allow us to remain stagnant in the faith. He wants to see us grow in the faith - so we end up with him in heaven. He wants to take away the things in our life that get in the way of our devotion to him - so that we can trust only in Christ. If our pride is getting in the way, he is willing to humble us. If our money is in the way - he is willing to make us poor. If our jobs are in the way - he is willing to have us get fired. If our health is getting in the way of our spiritual life, he is willing to make us sick. He is willing to go to all lengths to keep the cross of Christ before our eyes. Would you want a LORD who was any less loving?

There’s only one problem with this illustration I’ve been using - isn’t there. The boy lived in the end. Who couldn’t have faith in such a situation? I can recall my first week in the public ministry. I was serving a congregation down in South Carolina, when a young lady of the congregation - who had been in a coma from a motorcycle accident - only thirty some years old - died. I wished I could give her life. But I couldn’t. Her boyfriend and family were devastated. When people die today, we can’t just bring them to life. So how does that build the faith of anyone? There are many people living today who have witnessed their children die - who haven’t been raised from the dead. As a result, they have turned away from God and the church. What about those who don’t have a happy ending? Did God push them too far?

Finally, we have to trust that God knows His children. We have to trust Paul when he says in 1 Corinthians 10:13 God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. We need to cling to the fact that God is a loving God - who sent His Son to die for us. He promises us He will give us what we NEED in this life. When people question God’s love in these difficult situations of life and death, we may not be able to raise children from the dead, but we can promise a resurrection from the dead. Jesus promised, “because I live, you also will live.” When people are feeling dead and without the hope of ever seeing their loved ones again - we can breathe life into their souls by talking about the death and resurrection of Jesus. We can promise them that they too will live if they believe that Jesus died for them. We can give them hope of seeing their loved ones who died in Christ again. This is all we need. It may not make complete sense now, but as God says in 1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.