I hope you are looking forward to these morning blogs as we continue to focus on “God is Good”!
This morning I have a couple more verses I want us to learn from but before that let me tell you a story about our kids when they were little.
We didn’t want them growing up to be critical or judgmental. We tried to teach them that every person had value and purpose. After all, God is the giver of all life. We might not like what someone does but that doesn’t give us reason to become bitter, resentful or critical.
We told them they needed to look for something good or nice to say about everyone, even if all they could find to say was “they have clean fingernails”. And then we would laugh. Yes, that’s an obscure quality but at least it was something positive and it got them looking for the good in people.
“God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. 10 Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we must love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is truly in our hearts.” I John 4:9-12 CEV
Each person we meet or deal with on a daily basis was created and loved by God. In God’s sight, they are no less lovable than you or I. As the verses above say real love, true love, isn’t our love for God but His love for us.
God’s love for us is unconditional. Even in our sin He loved us and made provision for our salvation. His desire is to have all people, everywhere reconciled to Himself. We may all be surprised when we get to heaven and see someone that we didn’t expect to see but no one will be there because of our efforts. We will all enter heaven because we accept the sacrifice of Jesus and receive the love and grace that He gives.
“Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. 7 No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.
9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. 10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by the life of his Son.” Romans 5:6-10 CEV
God’s love, His unconditional, never-ending love has brought us to a place of peace. I am grateful that He loves me!