“Make love your aim...”

Paul writes in 1 Timothy 1:5, “The goal of this command [charge] is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith....”

Paul was speaking of the charge to Timothy of lead the church in Ephesus. Paul starts right out charging Timothy with taking authority in Ephesus and command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer.

In teaching false doctrines, they were promoting speculations rather than advancing God's work – which is by faith. (1 Tim. 1:4). Paul was painting a clear goal for Timothy in preaching the gospel – genuine love.

Love that sees God first, and from this place, sees the possibilities. It is an overflow of love that is unhindered by our own hooks. This cannot come from a place of rules, regulations or self-effort, only by loving God wholeheartedly and allowing His love to flow through us.

I recently read a short article by Dallas Willard called, “Getting Love Right.” He notes that love does not do very well in actuality of our every-day grind kind of lives... While we confess it, and have some idealized images of what it should be, but we lack it. He notes how little it shows up even in church staff in the way they treat one another.[1]

Dallas Willard writes, “Rarely do you find local congregations or denominational groups that are free of such unloving attitudes [speaking of hate, despise or indifference toward one another]. This all stands in glaring contrast to the biblical sources of our faith and practice, and to the lives and testimonies of many of the 'Great Ones' in the way of Christ.” [2]

Yet, the fulfillment of the law, [what Jesus came to do] is not having the right theology or even coming to church on Sunday's as much as it was to become like Him who is the embodiment of love. Romans 13:19 says, “He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law...” [3]

Dallas notes that our aim, is not to be a loving person in a specific situation “but to be a person possessed by love as an overall character of life, whatever is or is not going on.” He writes that love is not a faucet that is turned on or off at will but he defines it as an “overall disposition to do good.” [4]

He concludes that if we are surrendered to God, united with His will, we will be able to do what is best. And that of course is the nature of love – doing what is best. [5]

It left me with some questions:

-          If our aim is love - love that is overflowing, abounding and desiring good of others around is in the nitty-gritty of life... How well are we doing?

-          If Dallas notes that most churches miss the mark with loving attitudes, what do we need to do different?

At the same time that I look at the church and see unloving acts at times, God does not change or transform us all at once. We are all very much a work in progress.  I remember some years ago standing at the altar during service, this man came up to me. He wanted prayer for his struggles with anger. He had a problem with anger and was taking it out on his family. He was distraught and broken about it.  He genuinely wanted to change.

I imagine that day 10,000 angels in heaven were rejoicing as he repented. I am sure his life was not changed over-night to a perfect image of Christ, but that day I believe God met Him in His places of brokenness as He asked for Christ's help to change.

We are all a work in progress and fall short of the glory of God. We are all broken people in need of grace and mercy. At times we fail to love our neighbor as ourselves – even our leaders.

Too often, I can put my leaders (especially church leaders) on a pedestal and expect them to be perfect rather than remember that God put them there out of His mercy and love – not because they got everything right. They are in need of God’s mercy and love just as much as me.

I am reminded of some words Jesus spoke to someone who had come to Him and called him “good teacher,” He said, “Why do you call me good? No one is good -except God alone.”

Paul was quick to come before God as a broken sinner needing of grace and forgiveness. Right at the start of giving Timothy this charge to lead the church at Ephesus, Paul reminds Timothy that it is all by grace out of God's great mercy to sinners like himself.

Rather than proclaim his qualifications for giving Timothy this charge or Timothy’s qualifications to be a leader, Paul focuses on his own brokenness as he proclaims that he is (not was) the worst of all sinners that have been shown God's immense mercy.

Like this man who came up to me at the altar for prayer, as we continue to come to God with our places of brokenness and failing, God rejoices over us for our repentance.

An example of this is in the story of the Pharisees and tax collector who stood before God in Matthew 18:9-4. The tax collector beat his breast and beged for mercy while the Pharisees was confident in his righteousness and thanked God for not being a sinner. It was the repentant heart pleased God rather than the Pharisee.

Like the Pharisee in this story, I think sometimes we fail to see our unloving attitudes and come to a place of brokenness about them.  We are so busy moving at a wild pace in accomplishing the next thing that we plow over this “aim of love” as the most important.

We accomplish our goals while missing the mark and our hearts our dulled as a result. Or we just  fail to stand in God's presence long enough to receive His love so we  can give it away to others.

Jesus says in Matthew 9:13, “But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

It was the tax collector who was genuinely repentant for falling short that experienced  transformation.   As much as I would love at times God to zap me and make me loving in all situations, I think learning to walk in love is a process of continual coming before God with our lack, repenting, and putting to death to our old ways. 

“I want to love in more than this words, I want to love in giving my life to my brother... Here's my heart Lord, take it all” sings in the background.

After giving Timothy a picture of the goal – to make love the aim, telling him to take his place, and focusing on his own brokenness and God’s immense grace that met him, Paul goes on to remind Timothy that standing in his charge is by faith alone – not specific qualifications.

He says in 1 Timothy 1:18-19,  “Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command [charge] in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to the faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.”

We are to hold on to the promises that God gives us and what He speaks to us, allowing Him to bring it to pass. If God makes a promise, he is more than able to fulfill it. It does not depend upon our abilities but His. He formed us and knew all our days before one came to pass. We are exactly where God wants us and will come into all God has for us. He is more than able to get us there. [a]

Paul then goes through giving Timothy all kinds of practical advice on worship and a qualifications for establishing leadership of overseers and deacons in the church. He also instructs Timothy to use wisdom in caring for widows and selecting elders.

The final charge Paul gives to Timothy relates to managing his own personal walk with God. Paul tells him in 1 Timothy 6:12-14, “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.... I charge you to keep this command [charge] without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ...”

Lord, sometimes I find learning to love feels like really hard work. Help us to keep our aim on those things that are most important... loving You with all our hearts and loving our neighbors. Help us to quickly die to those things that hinder us from love. Fill us and empower us to love all those who come across our paths in our normal, everyday lives.

a. Like Joseph who saw his brothers all bowing down to him in a dream, the path to get there may be much different than we expected. I am sure that Joseph was pretty surprised to end up in prison at the hand of these brothers who God spoke would bow down to him. Yet God got him there. The same with David becoming king. He hid in caves, running for his life before the promise ever came to pass.

These circumstances helped Joseph and David to grow in trust and faith. Our circumstances are in the hands of God and He has purposed and designed them for our good and to bring about His glory. Paul says in Romans 8:28-29, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”