God is Love (5 of 6)
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope” – 2 Thessalonians 2:16
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope” – 2 Thessalonians 2:16
We are wandering with one foot on the ground and another in motion as the steps we take lead us from one place to another. In our mind is an abundance of thoughts, distractions, worries and concerns. Held in the reserves of our memory are the joys of days gone by and experiences that have shaped who we have become at this very point of our walk. To which of these do we give credence when we are searching for love on a daily basis, and to which portion of our life do we hold dearest and close as a benchmark of what true love is? We feel love when you look into the eyes of a homeless man or a widow or an abused child, yet what is it that takes this emotional feeling and turns it into action? Why do we walk past the prostitute on the corner or the man with needle tracks up his arm and not stop to ask why or how it came to this? Do you really care or have we become complacent to the needs of our fellow brother and sister, crippled by the walk that has brought them to this place in life?
When the dawn breaks and we place our feet upon the floor, the day has begun and you are faced with decisions that will add to who you are becoming. These decisions will require you to think about others and the impact that your actions will have on others around you. Your life is not meaningless if you have chosen to walk in the light of the One who gives us hope. The overwhelming compassion that drives you to even consider creating a better life for the one outside of your front door is the same compassion that is so lacking in the world today. We question and seek the love of others to fill the void that is ever present in our heart and soul. We worry that it doesn’t exist because we haven’t found it through the depth of our searching of our own memory. If we can’t love another being completely and without abandon, how can we ever expect that one of the other 6.2 billion people in the world could love us the way we need to be loved?
I propose to you this morning that if you are seeking the wholehearted and comprehensive love of the Father and not finding it in the world, you are living in it. God’s love is not of this world. We do not experience it through sweaty palms, skipping a heartbeat, the warm afterglow or a full embrace. God’s love is experienced through the realization and acceptance that He walked amongst us because we are a stubborn and arrogant lot. He came to us because we refused to come to Him. The God of the Universe and all of creation looked down on mankind and through a heartbroken spirit knew there was only one way to save them from an eternal Hell with Satan and His demons. How do you know that God loves you, because He intentionally put a salvation plan into action through the death and resurrection of His own Son, Jesus Christ.
Look at your life and you know without a doubt, we do not deserve His love. We continually turn our back on His call upon our life to serve Him and others through Him. At the heart of mankind we are self-centered, pride filled and worried about ourselves in a world that needs Him. Yet, despite our actions, words, perversions and thoughts; He has provided a redemption that allows for our transgressions to be washed clean. We have muddied the message, molded it to fit our lives and distorted the truth of His love because it’s hard to accept that it’s real. His decision to love us and desire to spend eternity with us is unimaginable because we don’t deserve it. Yet, in all of His glory, He still made it possible and available to each of us – all 6.2 billion walking the earth this very moment.
It’s called grace. Mercy is when you receive reprieve for something you did wrong. Grace is when you receive mercy and additional blessings despite doing something wrong. Say you steal from someone and are caught red-handed. The owner chooses not to press charges and you are set free. This is mercy. Now, what if the owner dropped the charges, invited you to live with him, paid all of your bills and ensured that all of your needs and wants were met. That is grace. We live in sin, God forgives that sin by His mercy, but He goes one step farther and grants us the eternity in heaven with Him because He loves us that much. It’s not for some of us, it’s for all of us. So despite how despicable you believe your life is and how unworthy you believe you are, He still loves you, and offers this grace to you abundantly. His love is the only thing that is sufficient to fill that void in your heart and soul that keeps you from experiencing joy in this life. Today is the day to get out of bed, put your feet on the floor, accept His love and share it with the world.
When the dawn breaks and we place our feet upon the floor, the day has begun and you are faced with decisions that will add to who you are becoming. These decisions will require you to think about others and the impact that your actions will have on others around you. Your life is not meaningless if you have chosen to walk in the light of the One who gives us hope. The overwhelming compassion that drives you to even consider creating a better life for the one outside of your front door is the same compassion that is so lacking in the world today. We question and seek the love of others to fill the void that is ever present in our heart and soul. We worry that it doesn’t exist because we haven’t found it through the depth of our searching of our own memory. If we can’t love another being completely and without abandon, how can we ever expect that one of the other 6.2 billion people in the world could love us the way we need to be loved?
I propose to you this morning that if you are seeking the wholehearted and comprehensive love of the Father and not finding it in the world, you are living in it. God’s love is not of this world. We do not experience it through sweaty palms, skipping a heartbeat, the warm afterglow or a full embrace. God’s love is experienced through the realization and acceptance that He walked amongst us because we are a stubborn and arrogant lot. He came to us because we refused to come to Him. The God of the Universe and all of creation looked down on mankind and through a heartbroken spirit knew there was only one way to save them from an eternal Hell with Satan and His demons. How do you know that God loves you, because He intentionally put a salvation plan into action through the death and resurrection of His own Son, Jesus Christ.
Look at your life and you know without a doubt, we do not deserve His love. We continually turn our back on His call upon our life to serve Him and others through Him. At the heart of mankind we are self-centered, pride filled and worried about ourselves in a world that needs Him. Yet, despite our actions, words, perversions and thoughts; He has provided a redemption that allows for our transgressions to be washed clean. We have muddied the message, molded it to fit our lives and distorted the truth of His love because it’s hard to accept that it’s real. His decision to love us and desire to spend eternity with us is unimaginable because we don’t deserve it. Yet, in all of His glory, He still made it possible and available to each of us – all 6.2 billion walking the earth this very moment.
It’s called grace. Mercy is when you receive reprieve for something you did wrong. Grace is when you receive mercy and additional blessings despite doing something wrong. Say you steal from someone and are caught red-handed. The owner chooses not to press charges and you are set free. This is mercy. Now, what if the owner dropped the charges, invited you to live with him, paid all of your bills and ensured that all of your needs and wants were met. That is grace. We live in sin, God forgives that sin by His mercy, but He goes one step farther and grants us the eternity in heaven with Him because He loves us that much. It’s not for some of us, it’s for all of us. So despite how despicable you believe your life is and how unworthy you believe you are, He still loves you, and offers this grace to you abundantly. His love is the only thing that is sufficient to fill that void in your heart and soul that keeps you from experiencing joy in this life. Today is the day to get out of bed, put your feet on the floor, accept His love and share it with the world.
Prayer:
Eternal God,
I accept Your love for me. I don’t fully understand how You could love me, but I trust in Your redemption and plan of salvation to fill me with Your glory. I don’t know how to share Your love, but I know that You can use me if I am willing. Lord, I am willing and long to be used by You to share Your love with others. Put the words upon my lips and the compassion in my heart for those that need to hear from You. Help me to see them with Your eyes and use my hands to help guide them back to You. Convict me by Your spirit Lord to see the world with love and an eternal perspective, that all may be reached with Your word of grace. I pray these things knowing that You are my God and I am Your child. Amen
I accept Your love for me. I don’t fully understand how You could love me, but I trust in Your redemption and plan of salvation to fill me with Your glory. I don’t know how to share Your love, but I know that You can use me if I am willing. Lord, I am willing and long to be used by You to share Your love with others. Put the words upon my lips and the compassion in my heart for those that need to hear from You. Help me to see them with Your eyes and use my hands to help guide them back to You. Convict me by Your spirit Lord to see the world with love and an eternal perspective, that all may be reached with Your word of grace. I pray these things knowing that You are my God and I am Your child. Amen
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