“As My Father has loved Me, so have I loved you.”
– Jesus, to the disciples (John 15:9)
On the night of His betrayal, Jesus told the disciples that He had loved them in the same way He Himself had been loved by His Father. Yet, the love in Jesus’ heart for His followers superceded a simple sentimental feeling of affection toward the twelve with whom He had traveled for three years. Likewise, the Father’s love for the Son went much deeper than sentiment. The Father’s love ultimately took Jesus to the cross.
We often mistakenly think that the statement “God wants what is best for me” refers to what we think is best for ourselves and His kingdom. Instead, what God considers best for us may greatly differ from the mindset we have.
God the Father knew that His Son must become the sacrifice for the sin of the world in order that the world might be saved through Him. His love led Jesus to Golgotha, because from the heavenly perspective, only the blood of His innocent Son could satisfy the requirement of justice towards a sinful world.
In the same way, Jesus loves us with the love of His Father – a bigger and more complex love than that of our devotion to Him. Jesus wants what is ultimately best for us and His kingdom, although the times of trial may confuse us and even bring us to doubt His loving care. God’s love actively chooses the best for each person from the kingdom perspective, not from our limited human way of thinking.
When we go through certain inexplicable circumstances that force us to question our faith in God’s love for us, we must remember that His all surpassing knowledge is higher than our finite opinion of what lies in our best interest. We may not always understand the Father’s plan, but we can continue to bask in the love He showed us supremely when He gave His Son to die in our place.
written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog
