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

Jump Start # 2788

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

I like to listen to music while I work. I have a variety of special music based upon what I’m doing. I have music that I play while I’m writing sermons. I have background music I play while I’m reading. I have music I listen to while I’m driving. I have music I play when I’m mowing the yard. Big variety from 60’s to classical to instrumental pop to Bluegrass. The other day I was listening to Gordon Lightfoot. On came his song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” A sad song about a tragic shipwreck on the great lakes. The song is long, very long. I believe I could write an entire series of sermons before that song concluded. It was playing the other day. Along came the line, “Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?” Interesting thought. Intriguing question.

Where does the love of God go during a storm? When the darkness of night never seems to end and the problems do not seem to get any better, where is God? When the cancer treatments no longer are working, where is the love of God? When the prayers are answered, “No,” where does the love of God go? Where is the love of God when brethren separate and congregations split? Where is that love, when a spouse walks away from a marriage and never looks back?

Great question, Gordon and a question that many wonder about. It’s these kinds of thoughts that lead many to throw the towel in on God. Where is He when I needed Him? Why didn’t He do something? The tears of broken hearts and the pains of suffering have made many conclude that either God does not exist or at the best, He doesn’t like them. Where is the love of God when the ship goes down?

Some thoughts:

First, our verse reminds us that God loved us when we didn’t love Him. He loved us while we were still sinful. And, not only does God love us, but He has proven His love. He has demonstrated that love. When someone asks, “I’m not sure God loves me,” Paul provides the answer. The answer is not smooth sailing, clear nights, and a pain free life. The proof and the answer is the Ole’ Rugged Cross. The Cross is God’s exclamation point. It, more than anything else, illustrates God’s love.

It may be that our definitions and expectations need to be readjusted. It may be that we have defined love in selfish terms. If God loved me, then everything would work out. I’d make the team, get the scholarship, land the job, buy the house, have healthy kids, nail the promotion and watch the sun go down in a carefree retirement. Now, that’s love. No. That’s selfish. Do you think God ought to love you more than Abraham? How about Moses? How about Noah? How about Paul? How about Peter? Trace their lives. On the move. Oppressed. Suffering. Persecuted. Ill treated. Yet, Paul, while sitting in a prison, never wrote a hymn with the line, “Where does the love of God go…” He knew God loved him. What happened to these heroes of faith was no reflection on how God loved them.

Second, we have little tolerance for hardship in our lives. The moment things get tough, some are ready to run the other way, screaming, “God doesn’t love us anymore.” Patience, virtue and faith are forged on the anvils of hardship. Tough times should not drive us away from God. Instead they ought to draw us closer to the Lord. Last year has been tough, very tough. Schools, businesses, churches were all impacted. There has been so many families I know that had funerals. Has God pulled away from us? No. Has God given up on us? No. Maybe these tough times were needed to firm up our faith. Maybe we’ve taken worship for granted. Maybe we preachers got a bit lazy. We’ve had to work like never before. Maybe all of this has been a blessing rather than a curse.

Third, death is the enemy of God. That’s the way it’s described in Corinthians. God allows it. God uses it. But it’s not the way life was intended. Death was a curse, not a blessing. Death was not part of that original Eden plan. So, when ships sink and the crew is lost, was that the work of God or Satan? Job’s problems were Satan sent. God allowed it, but Satan was the cause. We blame God for the bad and rarely thank God for the good. The crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald all died. So, did the crew of the space ship Challenger. So, did the brave soldiers at the Alamo. History is filled with tragic events and lives suddenly thrust into eternity. There has been wars and epidemics and accidents and violent crimes in every generation. The world is broken, not because the Love of God is missing, but because man has chosen sin and self over God.

Fourth, to answer Lightfoot’s question in his ballad, does anyone know where the love of God goes, it goes to the same place when Pharaoh was killing the babies of Israel. It goes to the same place when Herod was killing the little boys in Judea. It goes to the same place when Stephen was murdered. It goes to the same place when Jesus was nailed to that cross. It doesn’t go anywhere. God’s love remains. He loves us when we do not love Him. He loves us when we ignore Him. He loves us when we turn to Him. He loves us when the ship is going down. He loves us when the angels are summoned to carry us home.

I’ve never been a fan of Lightfoots’ account of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The song has little variation or movement. There is no real chorus. It’s not a happy tune. It’s not one you sing with your friends. And, it questions the love of our God who has never ever stopped loving us.

Where does God’s love go when the storms come? It’s still there. Maybe I need to stop looking at the clouds and look above them to see a mighty God who is greater than any problem we can have.

Roger