29 September 2015

Forgetting Who God Is – Love

Greetings Dear Reader,

Let me say this without reservation:  God does not hate anyone.  No matter what anyone may say to you God does not hate you.  He does not hate gay people.  He does not hate any race of people.  He does not hate the people who do things Christ followers think are wrong.

He does hate some activities.  So do we.  When we proceed from the assumption that God hates anyone we create a barrier to faith for them.  We must proceed from the truth that God’s love transcends every barrier.  He loves everyone. 

We put requirements and standards on God based on our definition of what love is.  It is God that gave us the power to love.  It is God that defines love.  It is by his definition that we learn what love is.

The failure of Christ followers to live out the love of God in the lives of others makes seeing this difficult.  It is there.  It is available to anyone willing to accept it.  So many people who accept that God hates anyone have not worked through what God has to say about love. 

Jesus gave us two commandments to follow:  Love God with all your being and love your neighbor.  He also told us to love our enemies.  He did not tell us to hate anyone.  We are to avoid sin.  We are to hate sin.  We are to love every life that exists.

If I do not live out this in every encounter with every human then I dare not think that I am following Christ.  As I prepare my heart for Advent I must focus on the purpose for the incarnation.  “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, the WHOSOEVER (anyone, anywhere, anytime) believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.”

 I must love always.  I must love in a way that with what meager ability I possess I reflect God’s love for the world.  Jesus is God’s final word on the matter.

The Final Word – Michael Card

You and me we use so very many clumsy words.
The noise of what we often say is not worth being heard.
When the Father's wisdom wanted to communicate His love,
He spoke it in one final perfect Word.

He spoke the incarnation, and then so was born a Son.
His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.
And so was born a baby who would die to make it mine.

And so the Father's fondest took on flesh and bone.
He spoke the living luminous word, at once His will was done.
And so the transformation that in man had been unheard,
Took place in God the Father as he spoke that final Word.

He spoke the incarnation, and then so was born a Son.
His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.
And so was born a baby who would die to make it mine.

And so the Light became alive and manna became Man.
Eternity stepped into time so we could understand.

He spoke the incarnation, and then so was born a Son.
His final word was Jesus, He needed no other one.
Spoke flesh and blood so He could bleed and make a way Divine.
And so was born a baby who would die to make it mine.

And so was born a baby who would die to make it mine.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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