Some things we do just because we know it pleases the Lord. How do we know what those things are? This knowledge emerges from our grasp of His word, our understanding of spiritual inner life, our appreciation of His personal glory, and the awareness of His Spirit who indwells us.
Thus, we perceive His pleasure. Those who truly love Him will move to satisfy His heart, and that becomes its own reward. It is the way of all adoring relationships, as one discovers the inner sanctum of the other and seeks to answer it.
Devotion is never without its eventual blessing, like Paul wrote, “Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible” (Eph. 6:24). But we don’t try to calculate what that blessing will be upfront. Sometimes at the outset, there is not even a hint of benefits to come, of windfalls and special graces. In fact, there may be nothing on the immediate horizon except loss.
Paul wrote Timothy of his impending martyrdom, saying,
“I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come” (2 Tim. 4:6).
Paul was, of course, speaking in metaphor here but laden with heavy spiritual reality. The Old Testament drink offering was typically wine, poured out in conjunction with other offerings. The pouring out demonstrated a celebration of unconditional love and gratitude.
Paul saw his life this way for Christ, a fine vintage gurgling out onto the ground.
Mortal observers are always aghast at scenes such as this, judging them as foolish, reckless, and irresponsible. It is like the woman in the gospels who broke her alabaster box and poured out expensive ointment on the feet of Jesus. The act seemed a pathetic, needless waste even to the disciples there in the room. They thought it might have been better used to sell and serve the needs of the poor. Ironically, the leading voice of complaint about her devotional act came from Judas Iscariot! (John 12:4-5). But the woman had not been motivated by a desire to accomplish something. To fund a ministry. To change the world. Instead, it was her loving response to her Lord’s immeasurable value. Jesus said, “She has done what she could” (Mrk. 14:18), implying that if she had had a million dollars, she would have given all of that as well.
And then there was Paul, also doing for the Lord as He could. Certainly, his impending martyrdom would have seemed to his critics a senseless tragedy. His unfortunate end would mean the termination of one of the world’s most profound ministries. Oh, the things he could have done with just ten extra years of life!
How many more churches? How many more books of the Bible written? And yet productivity, even of the spiritual variety, was no longer the chief issue. For circumstantial doors had all closed upon Paul. He was detecting His Master’s wish for a full, final measure of devotion.
While pulpits say much about the love of Christ for us, our love for Him receives surprisingly little attention in Christian circles. True, We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). But that which He has inspired in us, He longs to enjoy—a rich, full-bodied wine whose odor and flavor are most delightful. What is in you and me has been many years in the making, the product of His own life, His careful, crushing work, the result of countless tears and much pain.
And with deep, solemn celebration, Paul let go.
Just because.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on John Myer
Featured Image by Sonika Agarwal on Unsplash
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