"God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast and when I run, I feel his pleasure."
Love
And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:11In the recent series on 1 John we reflected on God’s love. The above verse from Mark appeared in my daily reading recently and I found myself reflecting on it from a new perspective. What does it mean for Jesus to be loved by God?
The eternal existence of the trinity is important in Christian theology. If God the Father had been alone before creation, then he could not have been love as there would have been no one to love (Sorry to give you such a big thought as you munch your cornflakes!)
But let’s come back to the question - what does it mean for Jesus to be loved by God? Andrew Angel writes: “Certainly not to be cosseted by a pampering father. God loves Jesus but clearly expects self-discipline from him”.
That Jesus calls on us to carry our cross (Mark 8: 34ff) does not diminish his love for us or our inclusion in his forever family. We easily confuse God’s love with our own desire for comfort. Angel writes further: “God is not always comfortable; he may be challenging – but he is always loving”.
As we pursue our calling in sport today let us remember that Jesus loves us but don’t expect that to shield us from the challenges and emotions of human life. Rather in the midst of the challenges remember His love is right there with us.