There are two songs that I have on repeat – Cory Asbury’s Reckless Love and Steffany Gretzinger’s Pieces. These songs intrigue me because they speak about two sides of God’s love.
Cory sings about redemptive love. It is the love that Francine Rivers tried to capture in her book, Redeeming Love. It says that no matter who you are or what you’ve done, God loves you and his arms are open wide to you. It is the love that makes the Shepherd leave ninety-nine sheep in search of the lost one.
Many Christians get stuck on redemptive love.
We think we are so unworthy of God’s love that we must forever kowtow to him. Thus, our relationship becomes one characterised by servitude. We are like a woman who feels she doesn’t deserve her husband and so, she does all she can to win his appreciation and to please him. He emotionally controls the relationship and she must plead for the smallest tokens of love.
That’s how some of us are with God. We beg God for things. We do not ask. We live in fear of his disapproval and damnation. We are in a constant state of being redeemed. However, when we begin a relationship with God, he puts us on equal footing. We become part of him. There is no him vs. us. There is simply one. We are part of a grand romance in which God delights in us. He asks that we call him by first name – not Brother Jesus or Pastor Jesus, just Jesus.
God is excited to spend time with us. He looks forward to it. When we are absent, he comes looking for us. He’s not passive aggressive, waiting for us to make the first move; desperately maintaining the balance of power. He will harass us until we make our way back to him.
God also expects a two-way relationship. He doesn’t want us to do the talking all the time. He wants to speak too. And he expects quality conversations. He has opinions he wants to share. He wants to understand our reasoning and decision making process.
God wants to be wanted. He would like us to be concerned about the things that are important to him; to get involved, not because we’re stacking crowns in Heaven, but because we truly care about him.
For a minute, imagine a God who wants to be with you. One that seeks an active, vibrant relationship with you. One who looks forward to talking to you each day. One who isn’t judging you or disapproving of you.
God really loves you and is absolutely excited at the thought of you. Yes, you.
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