TWO facts stand out in great prominence on the page of Holy Writ. One is that God found in man an object that attracted Him. The other is that, naturally, ruined man finds no drawing of heart toward God. God can so work in this guilty creature and so display Himself to that ruined thing, that man comes to find in God a corresponding attraction—such an attraction as commands his whole moral being; so that sinful men who, like the head of the fallen race, once fled from Him in cowardice and blamed Him in proud audacity, should be brought to say in Old Testament language, “All my springs are in Thee” (Psa. 87:77As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee. (Psalm 87:7)), and in the New, “We joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Rom. 5:1111And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. (Romans 5:11)). It is the result of God seeking man that man seeks God. Before the mission of the blessed God into this world in the person of His Son this was plainly demonstrated. But in His holy life and precious death all is fully brought to light. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto Me” (John 12:3232And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. (John 12:32)). “We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:1919We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)). It was His love, before we knew it, that made us an attraction to Him. It was His love proved to us in death, that made Him an attraction to us. “I will draw.” One great charm in connection with His love is His undeviating persistency. He saves to the uttermost; He loves to the end. When He sets out to react “His own,” He has blessings innumerable and immeasurable to press upon the objects of His affection, nor will He be satisfied by a negative answer. When they have been reached and blessed, should they turn their eye away from Him to find counter-attractions elsewhere, He will soon show that He has never turned His eye from them. If they should cease for the moment to follow Him, He will turn and patiently follow them. If chastening is needed, He will chasten, but only as the fruit of His unfailing love. “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth” (Heb. 12:66For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (Hebrews 12:6)). “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten” (Rev. 3:1919As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (Revelation 3:19)). He said of Israel, “I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths” (Hos. 11:66And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devour them, because of their own counsels. (Hosea 11:6)). “I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak to her heart” (vs. 14, margin). How matchless this love!
All other love must pale into insignificance; all other attractions be robbed of their power to charm and draw when His love shines forth to make its influence felt.
Simon Peter, James and John forsake their “all” to follow Him. When Jesus presents Himself to Levi and says “Follow Me,” he rises up forthwith, leaves all, and follows Him.
“Great was indeed Thy love,
All other loves above;
Love Thou didst dearly prove,
Jesus our Lord.”
“I followed him till my life was in danger,” said a poor widow one day, speaking of her husband to the writer. And who could have blamed her for making such a limit under the circumstances? His mind had lost its balance, and many, a wearying experience his mental vagaries brought her into. But in her affection she stuck to him through everything. Sometimes they might both be found wandering together in the fields and lanes when the farm laborers went home in the evening; and when they returned to their work next morning they were still there. She could, by no persuasion, prevail upon him to return home. When he did take a fancy to go home for a time, he would suddenly start up from the most tempting dinner she could prepare for him and be off again. She would then instantly leave hers and go with him.
But eventually it became apparent to her friends, and at last to herself, that her life was in peril. What now? Ah! she had at last to make a stand for self-preservation.
Not so with Jesus. He loved us down to death. He came into the world for that very purpose.
But, if proved by death, His love was not bounded by death. Ruth could say to Naomi, “Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me” (Ruth 1:16, 1716And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. (Ruth 1:16‑17)). But the love of Jesus went farther. When death was about to part them, He could say to His poor disciples, “I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you” (John 16:2222And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. (John 16:22)). His love would continue beyond death. His resurrection-power should be associated with it. And when His departure to the Father and His kingdom-rights are mentioned, “His own” are still bound up in His affections: “He loved them unto the end” (John 13:1-31Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. 2And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; 3Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; (John 13:1‑3)).
Are you, my reader, one who has never yet made the personal acquaintance of such a Friend? Then we would bid you welcome to His feet today. You have no tale of sin too appalling for His forgiveness, no stain of wickedness too deep for His precious blood to cleanse away. He will make you “whiter than snow,” and your heart beyond all expression happy.
Have you already tasted that He is gracious, and yet been tempted to take your own course, away from Him and those who love Him? Well, once more we remind you. If you are not following Him, He is following you. Has He not spoken already? You may expect Him to speak more loudly yet, and touch you into the bargain. He would rather shorten your stay here than miss your face there.
It would be better to be taken away from the privilege of showing forth His praises here than miss the joy of celebrating His praises with the myriads of His redeemed ones in glory.
One snowy day in the country, the writer met a shepherd carrying from the fields a sheep he had been killing. Something serious had happened to it, and he was taking the dead sheep to his master’s house. Thinking the man was a believer, he said to this shepherd, “Could you please tell me when the Lord Jesus Christ will cease to love you?” He became very thoughtful, but made no reply. The question was repeated, but no response. He then took the sheep off his shoulders and placed it on the snow. The question was repeated. Still getting no answer, the writer said, “Well, I must be going; and if you can’t tell me, I will tell you. ‘Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.’ He will never cease to love you.” They then parted; the traveler to pursue his journey, the shepherd to bear his burden to its destination.
When the latter got back to the spot where the dead sheep had been laid, he saw a spot of blood on the snow, and this brought back the whole circumstance, the question asked him, and the answer to it as well. With deep conviction, the Spirit of God brought it to his heart, as he confessed afterward. “If Jesus loves like that, what a wretch I must be not to love Him!” He took the news home to his wife, and her conversion soon followed. Oh, this love of our God set forth in Jesus: how “wonderful in counsel”; how “excellent in working” (Isa. 28:2929This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working. (Isaiah 28:29)).
“O ye who walk in darkness,
Ever mourning for your sin,
Open the windows of your soul,
Let the warm sunshine in.
Every ray was purchased for you
By the matchless love of One
Who has suffered in the shadow
That you might see the sun.”
GEO. C.