Compelled by Love

Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. (Genesis 29:20)

            Love compels us to do things that to others would seem irrational, and actions which might be perceived as "sacrifice" are nothing to the one who loves. Logic is concerned with weighing pros and cons in order to make an informed decision, but love simply acts. In fact, love is compelled to act. We might imagine Jacob's friends cautioning him, "Seven years is too long to work for a woman!" Maybe they pulled out their primeval adding machines and calculated the cumulative wages Jacob would effectively be handing over in order to gain Rachel.  But to all this, Jacob responded, "Put away your calculators.  No price is too great, no labor is too taxing, no task is too difficult. She's worth it!" Such is the nature of love that it goes to any length to possess the object of its affection. Even when Jacob was cheated and offered Leah instead of Rachel, when he was told he must work an additional 7 years for Rachel (a total of 14 years!), no bitterness overtook him. This was because love compelled him forward, his heart fixed on Rachel, his joy fueled by the hope of being with her.  This is why, as we read, "Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her."

            Paul wrote, "If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be cursed." This is not a threat but a reality.  When a man jumps off a building and dies, it's not because God cursed him on the way down but because the law of gravity took over. So the man with no affection for God will be cursed, not by virtue of divine decree, but by the mere absence of love in his life.  Such a man will spend his days trying to perform by will power that which was meant to be prompted by love. To him, every sacrifice will seem great and every task burdensome.  The more he gives up, the more he will imagine God owes him for his service.  The focus of his faith is himself, not Christ.  On the other hand, the man motivated by love is delighted by the mere thought of God.  He will do anything, give anything to be near Christ. He's so captivated by the Divine presence and so consumed by Jesus' love that he sees himself as an unworthy servant, deserving nothing from God, overwhelmed to have been graced with such a wondrous intimacy.  His whole life, he is entranced by this reality, or as Paul wrote, "The love of Christ constrains me."

            David wrote, "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" Dear Christian, is this your heart? Is this your prayer? Or is it hard for you to read your Bible and invest time in prayer? Here's what I would say:  Do not merely seek to "be better," for this will only land you in a legalistic, guilt-driven religion.  Rather, cry out to the Lord for more love, for only then will you find yourself doing effortlessly the very things you once labored to accomplish in your own strength.