A Love so Crazy...

Good morning!

Do you know what a paradox is?  Merriam-Webster defines the word as "a statement that seems contradictory or absurd and yet, is perhaps true."  I've been thinking about paradoxes lately because the Bible is full of them.  Of course, we know that if we apply that definition to the Bible, we would need to remove the word "perhaps", as all of the Bible is God's "God-breathed" message to us.

Isaiah 66 reminds me of the finale of a symphony.  The last movement usually revisits the musical themes found in the earlier movements of the work, and melds them all together in one last, grand finale.  Isaiah 66 is like that.  Rather than dissecting and re-visiting all of those though, Isaiah 66:1-2 will be our focus this morning.  It contains a breath-taking paradox.

"Heaven's my throne, earth is my footstool.

What sort of house could you build for me?

What holiday spot reserve for me?

I made all this!  I own all this!"

God's decree.

But, there is something I'm looking for:

A person simple and plain,

Reverently responsive to what I say."

Do you see it?  The very God of this vast universe, the Creator of it all, Who cannot be contained in a paltry building ... seeks His dwelling in us.  Astounding.

The apostle Paul affirms this in 1 Corinthians 6:19 when he says, "didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit?"

Don't ask yourself why, because it makes no logical sense to the human brain.  We have such a limited capacity to understand God.  Perhaps He seeks us, loves us, because He made us "in His image". Humans, unlike all other created beings, have a living, eternal soul that is ... somehow ... similar to God's.  In Genesis 1:26-28, we can read about the creation of Man.  There, the Trinity is talking among themselves, and they reach a decision.  They have all three been present at the rest of creation, actively taking part; but, they realize that it is lacking something vital.  So, they decide to (as The Message version puts it) make man "reflecting our nature", "god-like".  The soul that dwells in each of us is supernaturally "like" God's.

Yet, in His seeking, He does not force.  This is another paradox of the Bible.  Because our souls mirror His, we have the free will to reject Him.  He subjects Himself to the heartbreak of rejection, in order to gain the joy of our freely-given worship and love.  And all the while, He knows what our decision concerning Him will be, because He knows all things.

Any person who understands the biblical concept of "free will" understands that God never sends any human being to Hell.  Each of us makes our own final decision on that matter.  God freely gives us that choice.  Why? Because if He didn't, we would not be "made in His image".  If we were puppets or robots, we would not be created like Him.

And, here is an extremely important point:  although we were created in His image, our souls are thoroughly corrupted by Adam's and Eve's sin, what Bible scholars call "original sin".  Therefore, we in our original, human state, are extremely unlike God in His holiness.  That sin separates us from Him.  Adam's and Eve's rebellion against God caused a huge problem, not only for them, but also for us who would be born as their descendants.

Another paradox:  He longs for us, but His holiness cannot dwell in the presence of our sin.  What to do?  Oh, you know, Believer!  It was for this that He, the One who makes Heaven His throne, wrapped Himself in flesh and came to live as a man among us, to rescue us.  And now, with His own offering of Himself in His hands, He pursues us....relentlessly.  He loves us...madly!  A love so crazy...it chases us!

Amazing, isn't it?  Whether you are a believer or not, He longs for You.  Will you worship Him today?

If you have time, go to this link and listen to a modern English adaptation of Francis Thompson's poem, The Hound of Heaven.   It is his personal testimony of how he ran from God for years and years until he found his heart's rest in Him.  Francis was an interesting youth.  He studied for the priesthood, but never finished, then medicine, but gave that up, and finally entered the military, but was expelled after just one day.  Eventually, he turned to drugs and wound up living in London as an opium addict. Later, with his powerful gift for poetry, he wrote of his experiences.  This modern adaptation preserves the essence of Thompson's work, but without the hindrances of deciphering the Old English.  Actually, I'll give you links to both.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXlgz4aBKt8
(modern version)

http://nighttimethoughts.org/?p=1525
(old English, with explanatory footnotes)

Oh Lord, I cannot understand why You love me so, a person "simple and plain".  Thank you for Your love, so crazy!  Help me to be more reverent and more responsive to You, the Lover of my Soul. None but You, only You!  In Jesus' name, amen.