Saturday, November 10, 2018

God is STILL Love

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) does not rejoice at injustice or misfortune of others
(Your Name) delights when right and truth prevail
(Your Name) bears with others
(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

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