It’s February and you know what that means….love is in the air because it’s….Valentine’s Day. A day commemorated by the exchange of gifts between loved ones. Gifts such as cards, candy, and flowers are given as an expression of love between lovers as well as loved ones.
Gifts are nice, for sure, but I confess receiving a gift that actually caused me to break up with a guy….on Valentine’s Day! Yep, I was a senior in college and I received flowers from the guy I was dating. Honestly, I think it may have been a dozen roses. I don’t remember the gift as much as I remember the card that was attached, which read, “All My Love, Brian.” Sounds good, right? But I knew that didn’t sound like Brian. Brian would’ve simply put, “Love, Brian.” So when Brian called later that day to hear me express my delight and appreciation of his gift, I asked him, “Who sent the flowers?” Very confused, he answered, “I did!” Unconvinced, I asked him again, “No, I mean, WHO sent the flowers and told them what to write on the card? Do you know what’s on the card?” He said, “Well, I hope it says, “Love, Brian!” BINGO! I told him the card didn’t say that. He then admitted to asking his mom to send me the flowers. And there it was…Brian hadn’t actually sent all of HIS love. His intentions may have been good. The flowers were beautiful. And he had done what guys often do for their girlfriends on Valentine’s Day. But the sentiments on the card didn’t express HIS heart. And, well, since that meant a lot to me, I broke up with him.
So, we’ll come back to this….
In the meantime, did you ever read a passage in Scripture that made you stop and think because you weren’t sure of its meaning? Or maybe you weren’t clear on its implications. Or maybe you felt so sure that it couldn’t apply to you so you just kinda moved past it without giving it any consideration at all. But then you come across the passage for the umpteenth time and WHAM! All of a sudden, the passage comes to life and you see it in a new way. It stops you in your tracks…and you see its meaning a little more clearly…and know that you were meant to understand it because it could apply to you! (Aren’t you glad we serve a loving God who reveals Himself to us in a way that we can understand? I am so grateful for that!)
Anyway, a Connect Group I’m part of just finished going through the Sermon on the Mount. The final lesson of the study covered Jesus’ closing remarks:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
This passage was one of “those passages” that I referred to earlier. Truth is, this passage always bothered me. Afterall, these followers believed they were doing all the right stuff. They had spoken to others about Jesus. They had done amazing things in the name of Jesus! Things like driving out demons and performing other miracles! They really thought they were true disciples, and those who were delivered from demons and who benefited from their miracles probably thought they were too. How could Jesus say He never knew them, and send them away? I understood the implications and I greatly feared being one of them….was it possible to be one of them?!
And then this passage made more sense to me….thanks to this memory from my college days. It was like Jesus was saying, “You know what it feels like to be given a gift that’s not sincere. So don’t give me "roses" without giving me all your love! What you do for me means nothing unless it comes from your heart. And if you don’t really love me, then this relationship means nothing.”
The truth is that Jesus’ Sermon never mentioned doing any of the things these followers professed doing in His name. Rather, He described attitudes that would receive His blessing. He told His listeners to be salt and light so others could see their good works and glorify His Father in heaven. He told them to fulfill God’s Law, but to do it in a way that resulted in an inward change of their heart and mind, not just in outward deeds for others to see. Jesus also taught His listeners to love, not just their neighbors, but to love their enemies. He instructed them to be humble, so very humble, promising that His Father sees everything they do and rewards things done discreetly. He taught them how to pray and to forgive others so that they would receive His Father’s forgiveness. He told them not to pursue or worry about the things of this life because His Father knows exactly what they need and would supply their needs. He told them to do a regular self examination so they could see clearly to help others stay on the narrow road that leads to life. And He told them to never be afraid or hesitant to ask for help from His Father, because His Father loves to help His children and give good gifts. Doing the things Jesus described would be like giving Him roses along with a note sending all our love because they were actions that were steeped in love.
These “false” disciples may have sent roses, but they didn’t send their love. Their actions weren’t based in love or in heartfelt obedience. Instead, they were likely based on self-promotion and legalistic adherence. Jesus wanted to set the record straight. What we do or give means nothing if we don’t have a sincere relationship with Him. And that relationship has to be based on love, pure and simple…
Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Corinthians 16:14)
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7)
