As Tullian Tchividjian continues Chapter 7 of One Way Love, he discusses what Timothy Keller refers to as “the freedom of self-forgetfulness”. When we spend more time being introspective than thinking about Jesus and what He’s done, Pastor Tchividjian notes, we shrink into ourselves.
Freed from the burden of establishing our own self-worth, God’s one-way love enables us to enjoy and appreciate His gracious gifts on their own terms, rather than as means to an end. Tullian quotes German theologian Oswald Bayer, who points out that self-forgetfulness leads to life and freedom:
“Those who are born anew are no longer entangled with themselves. They are solidly freed from this entanglement from the self-reflection that always seeks what belongs to itself. This is not a deadening of self. It does not flee from thought and responsibility. No, it is the gift of self-forgetfulness. . . . In that God does what is decisive in us, we may live outside ourselves and solely in Him.”
Pastor Tchividjian astutely noes that as long as we’re living in this world, we will be tempted to locate our identity in someone or something less than Jesus because we’re addicted to control. The good news: grace persists even when we resist!
Today’s question: How has God’s one-way love altered your perspective about your ministry downsizing or vocation loss? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Expectation- the mother of resentment”
