I thank the Lord this week for the awareness of His presence through what has been a very difficult week. Lately, just when I think that things are getting better, the hammer falls, so to speak. I had a plan to get out of my financial mess, and my entire plan crumbled this week. Please pray that I can get back on track in this area of my life. I need a decent job that I can do. With my bad leg, its hard to find jobs. I need more writing jobs or an office job. Once again please pray. I am beginning to get worried that I'm going to lose my house.
I would also like everyone who reads this blog to pray about the situation occurring in the Middle East. Let us pray for peace, and pray for the families of those who lost their lives in the Libyan embassy attack.
In last week's message, I focused on the fact that the Lord who dwells within us is greater than the power of the evil one or the power of this world's system. We who believe in Jesus have His power to overcome those things that life tries to throw at us in order to get us off track in our walk with the Lord.
We also focused briefly on the importance of love in the Christian faith. As I stated last week, love is what the Christian religion is all about. God has demonstrated His love for us. As those transformed by the love of God, we are to show love for our brothers and sisters in Christ and for those who need to experience the love of Jesus in their lives.
This brings us to verses 9 and 10 of chapter 4 which state, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein in love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
In these verses, which are two of the clearest and wonderful verses in the Bible, John states the way God showed love to the human race.
God loved us in spite of the fact that we didn't love Him. All we like sheep had gone astray. We wanted to do our own thing in our own way. This began with Adam and Eve and continues right down to today.
The Bible says that there is no one who does what is good. There is no one who seeks after God. Furthermore, the Bible says that man in his unregenerate state is actually God's enemy. We are at war with the law of God.
In most instances, someone won't go out of their way to do something for just a neutral stranger. We definitely don't sacrifice or go out of our way for an enemy.
But, God loved us even though we were His enemies, and we didn't show anything but hostility and disobedience to Him.
Because He love us, God sent His Son, Jesus into the world to be the propitiation for our sins. Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross. The wrath of God against sin was poured out on Jesus who took upon Himself the punishment we deserved as sinners.
God didn't have to do this. There was nothing that mandated that He provide a way of atonement for those who didn't love Him. God sent His Son, and Jesus came into this world because God loved us so much that He was willing to make such a magnificent sacrifice.
Now that we know the love of Jesus, we must choose to accept what Jesus Christ has done and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, or we can reject Jesus Christ. However, God is seeking all, and whosoever will may come.
Those of us who have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord realize the great love of God for us. Now we are to respond to the love of God by loving others. Someone who has truly been transformed by Jesus will truly be a person of love.
We love the world in two ways. First of all, we show true love for this world when we tell others the good news of what Jesus has done for us. In other words, we are obedient to the Great Commission. Second, we show love by helping to meet the needs of the hurting inside and outside of the church family. We feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and afflicted and stand up for justice.
As John says in verse 12, people in this world see the love of the Lord when they see that His followers are people of love.
I don't know who may be reading this right now, but if you want to know what real love is, then turn to Jesus. Jesus loves you, and He want to have a relationship with you. Turn to Him in repentance and faith.
To those who have already given their lives to Christ, be people so filled with the love of God that it flows out to others. Share the love of Jesus with those you know by sharing the Gospel with them. Do good and try to help as many people in need as you possibly can. May you all know the love of Christ this day. Amen.
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