The Attributes of God Volume 1: A Journey into the Father's Heart by A. W. Tozer

Author:A. W. Tozer [Tozer, A. W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 2007-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

The Love of Christ

The third quality is love. He so loved that He gave all. But how calculating so many of us are! We say, “Well, I can go to this meeting but I can’t go to that one; the doctor has told me not to overdo it.” So we have it all figured out. We put our spiritual life on a budget. We won’t spend anything for God unless we can justify it in the columns of our budget. What a cheap, carnal way of living, and yet it’s true—we do it! How narrow God’s people are.

The love of the Lord Jesus Christ was a great, passionate, outpoured thing that caused Him to give Himself completely. It is said, “Christ pleased not himself” (Romans 15:3). Even our Lord pleased not Himself. But do you know what is wrong with us? We are self-pleasers. We live for ourselves.

There are people who would buy a new car even if it meant their church went broke and had to close its doors. There are women who would dress in the latest style even if the mission cause died and every missionary had to be sent home. Yet we’re saints, we’re born-again, we’re believers—we have our marked New Testament!

We may be Christians, but the love we have is a calculating and narrow love, a love that doesn’t give itself. And so how can He who gave Himself ever fellowship with us? Do you want a Bible illustration of this? Let me give it to you. It is in the fifth chapter of the Song of Solomon, that delicate, gentle, wondrous, beautiful book of which Dr. Scofield said, “Sin has almost deprived us of the ability to kneel before that burning bush.”

You’ll remember that the bridegroom (who represents Jesus) had given gifts to his bride-to-be. He was out taking care of his sheep, out among the lilies. The dew was falling, and his locks were wet with the dews of the night (Song of Sol 5:2). He was out there doing what his interests required him to do, what his heart wanted to do.

He came and knocked on her door to say, “Won’t you come and join me?” She said, “How can I? I am not dressed for it. I’m dressed for the couch and the home, and even my hands drip with the ointments you’ve given me. I can’t come.” And so he disappeared (Song of Sol 5:3-6). He was still her lover and he still wanted to marry her (and he did finally, thank God, and it came out all right).

He was out there pouring himself out, and she was in her house admiring herself and taking long whiffs of the perfume that he’d given her, standing before the mirror and admiring the robes and jewelry he’d given her. He wanted her, but she wanted his jewelry and his perfumes. Then finally she got under conviction about it and she quickly, hastily dressed, not really for street dress. But she got some clothes on and a robe about her and started out looking for her beloved.

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