Who Would Hide Me?

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:3

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God… Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another… So we have come to know… the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him… We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:7-11,16,19

A wealthy business titan tells the story of a concentration camp survivor who said upon meeting someone, her determination of whether she could trust them was, “Would they hide me?” His point was that success in life is measured not by our possessions or fame, but by the number of people who would hide us, who truly love us. For that to take place we need to be lovable, and this should be our motivation over any other endeavor. Yet, in God’s eyes, while we might feel valued by being loved, repairing our behavior to earn love is no guarantee for security or success.

First of all, because of Eden, we are at the root unlovable. Our worth is in the fact that God made us in His image and Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. There’s no earning here, only innate value appointed by God’s grace, and no proving, only precious redemption through Jesus’s blood. Believing by faith is setting aside self-effort and promotion, and depending wholly on Jesus. (Genesis 1:27; 3:1-6; Isaiah 43:1-4; Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 Peter 1:18-19)

Secondly, no matter how hard we try, focus on ourselves will not change our orientation or behavior. The mysterious exchange of the Christian life is that we must decrease and Christ increase for sanctification to occur. Christ in us is our hope of glory, and it is He indwelling who personifies love and loveliness. Winsomeness is marked by a Christ-ward mindset and others- centered living, not self-absorption, even if we pretend it’s for self-improvement. (John 3:30; Colossians 1:27)

The blessed truth is that in Christ we are hidden, never to be shaken or forsaken, and His unconditional love secures us in the abundant “success” of eternal life in His presence forever. Held in that boundless love, we find fulfillment loving Him and others through Him in limitless measure. Our life aim is not to be loved, but to love, serve, and spend ourselves and all we have for Jesus’s sake. (Matthew 20:28; John 10:28-29)

So are we loved? Yes! Vastly! Who would hide us? Jesus our perfect Savior already has, and in that we find our greatest worth. We are His treasure for eternity.

Father, may my security in Your love compel me to value and love others as You do.