It’s been a rough few days in Thousand Oaks and the
surrounding areas. The report of the
horrific shooting, in the city deemed by some the 3rd safest city in
America, has been heard around the world.
It has been shocking to hear and devastating to see, especially with
people we know and love having been affected by this tragedy. Then, came the fires. Lives and property were lost and some still at
risk due to the extensive burning. Smoke and ash permeate the air, carrying potential for a variety of ailments. It’s sad to know that we live in a society
where there are some who, simply, have no respect for life or sense of responsibility
to the community.
I heard two questions posed, “Why does God do these things
to us?” and “Where is Jesus when things
like this happen?” These questions indicate a sense of disappointment and hopelessness. But, please, know that God loves us…He loves you. His
very nature is love. HE is not the source
of these tragedies.
Bad things happen because live in a fallen world – a world where
things are broken – a world where many things are not as they were created to
be. As human beings created in His
image, we were created with free will. Aren’t
you glad we aren’t robots destined to exist solely within the scope of our
programming? But sometimes free will gets us into
trouble. Sometimes the free will of one negatively
impacts the wellbeing of others. That’s
what we just witnessed in our community.
We have pushed Jesus Christ from the center of our lives and
communities. We have allowed it become
unpopular to have Christ as our standard.
Admittedly, some of that happened
because a number of us who self-identify as ‘Christian’ (simple definition: Christ-like) have been hateful in situations
where we should have shown compassion.
In other words, Jesus has been given a bad reputation. He’s getting blamed for ugly things He had
nothing to do with. We need to fix that.
1 John 4:8 says, “He who does not love
does not know God, for God is love.”
Our relationship with God through Jesus Christ should
dictate how we live our lives. If God is
love, we should be love too. So, the
question for Christians is, are YOU love?
To get a real answer to that question, try substituting your name for
the word LOVE as you read the description in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:
(Your
Name) is patient
(Your
Name) is kind and thoughtful
(Your
Name) is not jealous or envious
(Your
Name) does not brag, and is not proud or arrogant
(Your
Name) is not rude
(Your
Name) is not self-seeking, thinking of
self before others
(Your
Name) is not overly sensitive and easily
angered
(Your
Name) delights when right and truth
prevail
(Your
Name) believes in others, looks &
hopes for the best in each one
(Your
Name) hangs on during difficult times
Did
that sound like an accurate description of you?
Or do you have work to do in a few areas?
I can hear the whining now:
What about people who don’t believe like I do? How am I supposed love people who don’t vote
like I do? What about people who are ‘living
in sin’? What about people who blah,
blah, blah, blah, blah? By John 3:16 we
know that God’s love extends to everyone.
“For God so loved the world
the He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life in Him.” Pretty inclusive, huh?
I submit to you that we, as Christians, need to be about
the business of sharing the love of God everywhere we go. We need to begin the work of repairing the
reputation of Jesus Christ, because this world needs Him. Be a willing source of kindness and
compassion, because people who are hurting are likely to end up being the ones
that hurt other people. You may never
know how the love you give, in His name, could affect or possibly save the lives
of others.
If we don’t have love, we
are nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2
