Jump Start # 3624

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

It is something that everyone is looking for. It is something that inspires poems, songs and movies. It is something that is hard to describe, define and put on piece of paper. What I’m talking about is L-O-V-E. Everyone needs love, from the smallest baby, who cries just because she wants to be held, to the aged person in the nursing home who checks her mail slot two or three times a day, hoping to hear from someone. Love.

Love fuels the grand commands of God, from loving each other, to loving your enemy. When asked what the greatest command was, Jesus said, “love.” Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul. The second greatest command also involved love. Love your neighbors, as yourself, the Lord said.

When it comes to the love of God, God’s love towards us, most do not understand it. And, there is good reason for that, God’s love for us doesn’t make a lot of sense. We were the ones who broke His law. We were the ones who ignored Him and acted as if He never existed. We were the ones who made a real mess of things. Had it not been for God rescuing us, we’d still be in a mess.

God’s love is not a feeling, an emotion, or based upon how cute we think we are. God loves us not because we were good. We weren’t. His love is a choice. He chose to love us when we were not loveable. And, that is beyond understanding. That doesn’t make sense. Our love tends to be reactionary and based upon how another person treats us. You are nice to me, I’ll be nice to you. You are mean to me, I’ll ignore you and walk away from you. That’s generally how we operate. Not God.

There are three aspects of God’s love that we need to appreciate:

First, God’s love is wide enough to include all people. All people. People like us and people not like us. People we like and people we don’t like. Good people and bad people. God loves us and “them.” God loves the tax-collector, the Samaritan, the Pharisee, the Roman soldiers, as well as the apostles and the woman who anointed his feet. God loves His friends and God loves His enemies. God loves Peter and God loves Judas.

There are people who would like to see this country fall. There are people who would like to see you suffer. While we may be thinking missiles, attack drones and trouble upon them, God loves them. How can God love those who want to hurt His children? The answer is that His love is wide enough to include all people.

Second, God’s love is deep enough to forgive all sins. Those terrible, terrible sins that ruined lives and brought destruction upon the land. God can forgive the one that takes life. God can forgive the one who blasphemed. God can forgive the one who tried to subvert His word. God can forgive the lies that wreck nations and families. God can forgive the sins that sank a marriage. God can do that because God loves.

There have been things done to us that we struggle with letting go. We have a hard time forgiving. I think about Paul  standing before the Christians in Jerusalem after he became a believer in Christ. Men and women had been put in prison because of him. Children were left to others because parents were taken away. Some were killed. He was responsible for all of that. He was behind all of that. And, now Paul was one of them and among them. Could they forgive? Would they forgive? Why should they? And, there is just one answer. Because God had.

Third, God’s love is long enough to use all people. God used people who once had demons controlling their hearts. God used people that took advantage of others. God used people that were once bitter. God used people who were arrogant. God used people that were selfish.

One of the hymns of days gone by is, “There is room in the kingdom for you.” And, that is true. We don’t all need to be preachers. We don’t’ all need to be shepherds. We don’t all need to be public servants. But “there is a work that we all can do.” The work of encouraging. The work of connecting. The work of inviting. The work of being strong for the Lord.

All of us have had to change. Some a little bit and some a whole lot. But those things do not matter. God loves us and can use all of us.

God’s love…wide enough…deep enough…long enough. And, of course, enduring enough to get us through the darkest nights and carry us through until we are safely home.

Sure is hard to understand why God loves us. But, I’m so glad that He does.

Roger