A man from Portland, Oregon...
Illustration
A man from Portland, Oregon, tried an old-fashioned way to woo his lady. He rented a white horse, a suit of armor, a plumed helmet, a purple shirt and skirt. Then he informed the local television station so his proposal could be filmed. He circled Lownsdale Square during his lunch hour, hoping to find his lady. But his gesture went unappreciated and unanswered.
Later, the woman he hoped to marry said she was suffering from a cold and had forgotten. "I would have told him, no," she said. But the knight on the white horse was dejected; "I really feel hurt," he said. "I was thinking of the old days. Why can't that be done nowadays?"
That's an extreme example of a man taking the initiative to win the heart of the woman he loved. God once took the initiative to win the hearts of his people. He loved the world, but "the world knew him not," as John reports in his first chapter. God's loving initiative went largely unappreciated and unanswered, but his purpose remains the same. "God sent the Son into the world ... that the world might be saved through him." (v. 17)
Later, the woman he hoped to marry said she was suffering from a cold and had forgotten. "I would have told him, no," she said. But the knight on the white horse was dejected; "I really feel hurt," he said. "I was thinking of the old days. Why can't that be done nowadays?"
That's an extreme example of a man taking the initiative to win the heart of the woman he loved. God once took the initiative to win the hearts of his people. He loved the world, but "the world knew him not," as John reports in his first chapter. God's loving initiative went largely unappreciated and unanswered, but his purpose remains the same. "God sent the Son into the world ... that the world might be saved through him." (v. 17)
