Growing Hesed

God is described over two hundred times in the Old Testament as being חסד hesed/chesed, a quality God also desires from us: “For I delight in loyalty [hesed] rather than sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). The Hebrew word hesed is translated as “devoted,” “faithful” and “unchanging love.”  It is also translated as “lovingkindness” and “mercy.  We rejoice with David in Psalm 23 in singing “Surely goodness (tō-ab) and lovingkindness (he-sed) shall follow me all the days of my life;” (ASV).  And it is this kind of love Paul the Apostle described in 1 Corinthians 13 How many of us have tried to will or think ourselves into having this kind of love for God or others?  How is that working?  I’m struck that my old dog Maisy probably had more of this kind of love than I do.  She was always happy to see me, stayed with me when I was struggling emotionally, and forgave quickly.  Unconditional love. How do we grow up to be like Jesus?  How does our character become like him?  While the “Christian Disciplines” - for example reading the Bible, praying, fasting, serving the poor, times of solitude, etc. can be helpful, they don’t automatically transform us.  This was the conclusion of Dallas Willard, an influential USC professor.  Dallas wanted to help the body of Jesus become more Christ-like through discipleship.  Towards the end of his life, Dallas was intrigued by the idea that salvation was more about  forming and growing a new “hesed” attachment with God - rather than simply a “left brain” endeavor to have correct knowledge, beliefs, and choices.  Time honored spiritual disciplines are most helpful for those who already experience God’s “hesed” love for them. Face to face joyful interactions is a key way we grow “hesed” based attachments to God.  We see this in “The Blessing” in Numbers 6: 24-26.  And also in 2 Cor 4:6 “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness’, is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (NASB)  In the light of Jesus’ eyes, his face is fullness of joy. As we live attached to the heart and life of Jesus our True Vine (John 15), His love for those around us - even those who feel like “enemies” will flow to us.  He shares His mind with us - especially “right brain” feelings and images. I talked about some of this last Saturday night March 12th.  To watch or listen to the service - including Todd’s heartfelt worship, Susan’s meditation for Communion, and Gilbert Matsuoka’s prophetic message, please click the link below:

Saturday Night's Service

And here is a link to Gilbert Matsuoka’s notes for the prophetic message he shared:

Gilbert's Notes

With affection,                       Russ Fochler P.S. I plan to share Part 2 this coming Saturday March 19th.