Sunday, June 24, 2012

God's Great Love


1 John 3:1-2 and 11 -  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ……. This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

God’s deep love…lavished on me every day…so much that I just can’t wrap my brain around the ways that he show his love to me. It is amazing to wake each morning and walk close enough to him to hear his voice and hold his hand.  He has loved me through the worst storms of life … and his love helps me to understand why everything in life is not picture perfect.

God loved us so much that he gave up his only son….to die for the many sins we commit each day. His love is a free gift…that I sure don’t deserve. It makes me think of the time I had to run out of the movie theater in tears.  I was watching the Passion of Christ…..and I just couldn’t watch them beat him anymore.  I kept thinking about how it was my fault…he didn’t deserve that horrible treatment.

John is telling us that this gift we receive from Christ…it should transform our selfish nature into the same loving nature that Christ had…the same as his father. John is telling us that we won’t ever really understand the love of God…but to just let it wash our old selfishness right out of our hearts and allow God’s love to take over.  God’s love will begin to teach us how to love others the way he did…without regard to gender…lifestyle…economic status…or color.  God’s love knows no boundaries…it lays its life down for others….so that they too can know the great love and peace of the father.

Father….I thank you for this reminder that I am to love no matter what.  Help me to really grasp how to love all people…no matter how they are dressed…where they work…or where they live.  Teach me how to really love others the way you did.  Forgive me for putting boundaries on my love in the past.  Help me to never build up those walls of judgement again….but to always look at others with your eyes…and react to them with your heart. Amen.

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