Skip to content

Looking bad in the presence of love

prodigal son

Larry Crabb recently spoke about the transforming effect of the gospel. To experience the gospel is to know the power of "looking bad in the presence of love".

Really like that phrase.

It's the inversion of the whole world.  Celebrity culture says 'Look good in the glare of the papparazzis.'  Politics says 'Look good in the glare of public opinion.'   Social interactions depend upon looking good in the presence of those we don't entirely trust.  Even (perhaps especially?) church can be a place where we look good in the presence of pressure.

How transforming it is to unmask our pretence.  And how transforming our communities could be if we offered that love that unmasks pretence.

.

 

0 thoughts on “Looking bad in the presence of love

  1. flyawaynet

    I like this concept as well. I'm not still on "First Date" impression making with God, He's the friend that holds my hair back when I'm being sick over the toilet. Good and bad, that's what He's been there for. I can look nice for Him, but He knows - and I know He knows about the nastiest looking times.

    I'm so very very glad.

  2. Glen

    thanks you two. one of the great blessing God brings out of our sin is reminding us of what's already true but we forget in our 'relative righteousness' - we're much worse than we thought and Christ's love is much deeper still.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Twitter widget by Rimon Habib - BuddyPress Expert Developer