God’s Commitment to Love

Thus far, 3824 people laughed at this quote because they found this “funny.”  They, clearly, didn’t understand the beautiful meaning behind this quote.

We are used to the phrase that says, “Love is Blind.” Depending on which way this phrase is used, it could mean the naivety of an immature person or the genuine love of a mature person.

If the above phrase is used latterly, a person who loves another in such a manner can be commended for having a pure and forgiving heart. However, if someone loves another in the manner that Julius Gordon described in his quote, that person should be commended for having a generous and virtuous heart. Why the difference?

Love is not blind – it sees more, not less, but because it sees more, it is willing to see less.

Julius Gordon took “Love is Blind” to another level. He expanded upon the latter usage of this common phrase and gave a deeper meaning of true love. Not only that, whereas “love is blind” can only, truly, be applied between lovers, he gave a definition of love that can be applied to any type of relationship.

Definition of the Quote

Seeing More

Julius Gordon’s quote speaks of love in which we see, not just the outside of a person, but the inside as well. At this point, we can argue that “love is blind” says the same thing. However, Julius Gordon’s quote implies more scrutiny in which we look at the inner side of a person.

This scrutiny is not for the sake of being noisy, but because of a genuine desire to know everything there is to know about the person. This speaks of the genuine respect that we give to another. This is a respect of acknowledgment given to the fullest degree! It is the total opposite of just seeing a person and walking away as if the person is a decoration. The quote is not talking about our daily routine greeting that goes, “Hey how are you?” “Oh, I am doing just fine.” “That’s good. See you around.” It is talking about a genuine interest in people that we know!

Focusing on the Positive

When we take a genuine interest in another, we gently peel away the social shield, that we all carry around ourselves, and of another. That pealing away of the social shield allows an individual to open the door to his/her world to be shared with the one showing genuine interest. The end result is that we get to see many aspects of the individual, and we get to understand him/her much better than before.

At this point, the important thing to remember is that the person showing genuine interest in another is focusing on the positive of the individual. It is so because “genuine interest” in another can, truly, only be generated from the inner side of our hearts. That means we have consciously decided to approach another in a manner that is “accepting” of one another.

Overlooking the Negative

Of course, when we get to know one another we are bound to find out about another’s negative traits as well. But Julius Gordon’s quote talks about the “willingness to see less.” Genuine interest allows one to see not just the positives and the negatives of another, but it allows one to see the reasons behind those traits. In case of the negative traits, because we are aware of the reason behind them, we are told, by Julius, to overlook the negative. That is called, showing compassion. If this is not having a generous and virtuous heart, then I don’t know what is!

God’s Commitment

Part 1

Okay, so we’ve had a little class on Julius Gordon’s quote on true love. Where does God come in all this? 🙂

I would like to take everyone to 1 Samuel 15:11:
“I regret that I have made Saul king because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

The above scripture talks about God regretting making Saul into a king. In the history of human beings, as recorded in the Bible, God has certainly regretted many times.

So what made God regret making Saul the king of Israel?

God told Saul, by way of Samuel, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys‘” (1 Samuel 15:2-3). “But Saul and the army spared Agag [King of Amalekites] and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good” (1 Samuel 15:9).

Not only did Saul spare Agag, the king of Amalekites, but he also kept the best of the sheep and cattle. This is not what God wanted. God was taking vengeance on the Amalekites, but Saul did less than what God commanded!

Can anyone understand God’s anger? What do we feel when our revenge gets thwarted? Do we not get angry? But who can identify with God’s anger when His “chosen” does not carry out His revenge as He commanded?

Part 2

Anyone with an ounce of imagination could probably understand God’s anger, at this point. God’s personal revenge was thwarted by his Chosen!

So why did God allow that? Isn’t God this all-knowing, supreme being? If the revenge was that important, why did He use Saul to carry it out? If taken a bit further, why did God make Saul into a king in the first place? Doesn’t that make too much sense?

This is where today’s quote comes in.

Love is not blind – it sees more, not less, but because it sees more, it is willing to see less.

God, though being an omniscient person, chose to “see less.” What this means in God’s terms is that though He could have seen the future before He made Saul the king, He chose not to! How could He have an emotion of “regret” if He had not!?

This is God’s commitment of Love to us, to forego “seeing” our sins, and, even more amazing, He chose to forego “seeing” our past sins through His Son Jesus! What is more generous? What is more virtuous?

Our Decisions

As previously stated in “Misconception About Free Will,” God chose to give us the respect and consideration that a father would give to his biological children. He didn’t have to do that. He could have chosen to treat us with malice, but He didn’t. Instead, He chose to bathe us in His love. That was His commitment to us. What can we do to respond to his compassion? He sent His Son to die for our sins. All He asks is for us to accept Jesus into our hearts. What do you say?

Russel

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