Father's Love: Alive through Risk

A dimension of Father's love that we can think logically doesn't fit with love, is taking "RISK".  I think of the tremendous risk of rejection that God has taken in His love towards His children throughout His Word.  Starting with the risk to give Adam and Eve a choice in the Garden of Eden by putting the tree of the knowledge of good and evil right in the middle.  God was willing to put Himself out there by displaying that He wants intimate relationship with mankind but in order for love to be possible choice is required.  Jesus displays the heart of a lovesick Father in the story of the prodigal son, where this Father is willing to go through rejection, betrayal, and even being disowned by the prodigal.  Yet the Father is on the porch searching the horizon for His son to come home, when He sees him He throws off all restraint risking rejection again by embracing him.  In Father's embrace He extends forgiveness, acceptance, and reconciliation.

I believe the more we have revelation of the radical love of the Father "in Christ", the more we will become like Him.  Oh how the world is looking for radical laid down lovers that will display the love of the Father that is irresistible.  Writing the last sentence gives me a hunger for greater revelation of Father's love for me personally that He would be more manifest through my life.

Father's love is one that has risked everything to be displayed to us giving His Son as a sacrifice to manifest His love.  As we step into this kind of risking love for others we are sharing in His life.  Since the beginning God has desired that we be conformed to His likeness, it was how we were created.  Yet Father has given us the free choice to give ourselves to Him and by receiving His radical love we are transformed to be like Him.

Avoiding risk at all costs to live a life of security, safety,pride, and comfort is a slow death, since risk is a dimension of God's divine love.  We must risk in order to share in His Divine love flowing through us but this risk is not initiated by us but by the Holy Spirit in us.  In 2 Corinthians 5:14 we are told what is to compel us, "For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died."  If we are not compelled we will be motivated by fear or selfish ambition for these are the other motivations of the heart.

Compelled by His love,
Bret