1 John 4:11-14 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we remain in Him, and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.”
Venture onto social media these days, and the hatred and venom will soon overwhelm you! Insults of all kinds appear to be the order of the day – name calling, labeling, reacting to name – calling and labeling – the cycle appears endless and depressing. There is nothing difficult about hating someone; we begin as small children and continue as we grow. (Notice, I did NOT say “mature.”) Hatred begets more hatred.
But God has a radically approach! God loves us! God loved us from the time we were conceived, and that love has never stopped.
Ever watch a little boy following his dad? If the dad takes big strides, the little boy tries to as well. If the dad has a certain way of walking or certain mannerisms, that little boy is going to copy his dad because he wants to be just like him. In the same way, little girls copy their mothers. Of course, this puts an enormous burden on parents! Do an eye roll once in front of your three year old daughter, and when she’s thirteen and challenging you, all you will see is your eye rolls coming back at you! Children copy their parents, for better or for worse. If you live in a small town, people might even guess who your father or mother are just from the manner in which you behave.
If we know God and if we truly want to follow Him and to be known as His children, then we must love as God loves. Remember, light and darkness can’t occupy the same space at the same time; neither can hatred and love.
“But,” you say, ”I am not a naturally loving person!” News flash: NOBODY is a naturally loving person! Some of us are superficially more cheerful than others, but sometimes that cheer is a cover – up for resentments seething below the surface. That is why we all need God to come into our hearts, to clean us up, and to change us.
Cleaning up a human heart is a lot like cleaning up a toxic waste dump. Eliminating all the hatred and resentment, the pride, the anger, and all the other heart sicknesses is a work only God through the Holy Spirit can successfully do. That’s the bad news. The good news is that God is in the spiritual toxic waste clean up business and He has a long track record of success.
As long as we continue to try to do things on our own, we will continue to struggle under an ever – increasing load of sin and despair. That load can crush us and make life meaningless. But if we will ask God to come into our hearts and change us, He will answer those prayers and will begin a work in our hearts that will continue until we go to be with Him in heaven.
We all have choices: we can struggle under a crushing load of sin and death, or we can turn to God, confess that we are sinners, and beg God to help us. God is a good Father, and He can handle anything we throw at Him. If Jesus could forgive the thief on the cross and promise that man eternal life, Jesus can give us eternal life as well.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us and for sending Jesus to die for our sins. We confess that we are trapped in our sins. Please come into our hearts and lives. Save us from our sins. Fill our hearts with your Love, so that we will be able to love all those around us. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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