We continue a devotional journey focused around portions of Carl E. Braaten’s book “Justification.”
To say that God loves people irrespective of their inherent value does not mean that they have no value. Although God does not love human beings because of their worth, they do have value because God created them good out of (God’s) overflowing love. Christian respect for the immeasurable value of human life is grounded in the infinite love of God for humanity expressed in Jesus Christ. God’s love creates the capacity to love (God) in return and to love other with a selfless, sacrificial love. So far as our love to our fellow human beings conforms to the pattern of God’s love for us, we will express our love even to those whom we do not like.
This is said so well. When he writes, “…we will express our love even to those whom we do not like” it is quite overwhelming. It is overwhelming to me in the sense that the love we express is not merely the love we can muster in ourselves. It is the love of God that is made known to us…the love that first grasps us and does not let us go. That love is the love we express to even our enemies. Whoa. We each begin with an amazing affirmation that does not come from what we have done. It is the Power for new life…right now and always. Even as I write this, we must also be in touch with the fact that we may find this power for new life very difficult to put to use in our own lives because we are so wooed by human love and human ties and human ways of playing games…that our worth in God’s presence is painful to us as it dismantles all of our expectations and limits.
Connection: In the middle of everything we do today…remember that as followers of Jesus we are inspired to see “the immeasurable value of human life…grounded in the infinite love of God for humanity expressed in Jesus Christ.” To have a glimpse of that love, glance at the stories of Jesus.
Lord of Love, we are made into new creatures as we are upheld by your word of grace and love. Walk with us and remind us of the beauty you see within all who are your beloved…even when we see nothing in them to love. Help us lift the veil that inhibits us from seeing with eyes renewed by your Spirit. Amen.
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