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Stay Trusting
Brian Mashburn
November 22, 2009
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What Do You Mean I Don't Love You?
It was said out of a hot-red face and through tears. The eye-brows were angled down in defiant anger, but the eyelids were squinting in vulnerable pain. It was said as a mixture of hurt, accusation, low-self esteem, and question. And it was said loud, "You don't love me!"
It came from a man who had lost his son - tragically and too early in his young life for even the most spiritual of men to interpret as fair. And it was directed at God.
"You don't love me, God! You're not even with me! Where are you, huh?! Where are you! If you love me, then save my son! If you love me, then at least relieve this pain!" No one on this side of heaven would ever blame him for such words.
But in heaven, it is quite a different story.
Imagine the teenage child, purchased out of abusive tribal slavery in Africa by a loving couple in Australia, who opened their home and heart to her, taking her and all her emotional and physical scars into their lives forever, looking at them when they wouldn't buy her a car and saying, "You don't love me. If you do, prove it and buy me the car!"
This is what Jesus was being tempted to do when "the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 'If you are the Son of God throw yourself down. For it is written: "He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Mt 4:5-6)
Satan was telling Jesus to test God's love for him. To presume upon God's love, and dictate to God what God's love should look like if He really loved him.
You've heard him do it to you, haven't you?
"If God loved you, you wouldn't be hurting like this."
"If God loved you, he would cure you."
"If God loved you, you would have more money."
Jesus answered him in the way we will need to answer him when these thoughts come: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." (Mt 4:7)
God is the loving parent who bought you out of slavery and has opened His heart and home to you, taken all of your emotional and physical scars into His Life forever. And all of this, while given to you freely, wasn't free, but cost Him the suffering and brutal death of His only son.
Do not test the love of the Lord your God.