“²⁸And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28 (ESV)

Notice in the verse above, “those who” is used twice. There is no nationality, no cultural denotation, no color, no religion, only love for God that identifies us. Talk about diversity and inclusion. All we have to do is love God and we are in. I am all for that.

Here’s where it gets a little tough, we are to love as God loves and that means accepting everyone as God accepts everyone. It may seem like an easy thing, but I will admit that there are people in this world that are hard to love (I am sure you are aware of a few). Those that persecute us, murderers, those that believe differently than us, and those that live a different lifestyle than we do all cloud our judgement of who and how to love.

And yet see here:

“²⁵As indeed he says in Hosea, ‘Those who were not my people I will call “my people,” and her who was not beloved I will call “beloved.” ²⁶And in the very place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” there they will be called “sons of the living God.”’” – Romans 9:25-26 (ESV)

God loves all and his love is for all. We are afforded love from God and therefore aren’t we to be the example of God here. We have the obligation to be the example of God’s love and what better example than showing his love for ALL.

Where is your heart when you are confronted by those that challenge your ability to provide love? Are you able to love in the example of God? If we are not able to love, what right do we have to God’s love? Aren’t we a part of the ALL?

We are in a place that can only be covered by love, and God provides that love for us.

“⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. ⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” – Romans 5:5-6 (ESV)

I am amazed every time that I read God’s Word as he teaches me or reminds me of something each time I sit down with Him. You see in the verses above that God’s love is for all, through the Holy Spirit, and Jesus died as a demonstration of that love.

What a great love it is that the Trinity is involved. We are blessed to have God in our lives and providing for us. But it was not just a one-time present. Yes, Jesus died once, but the Holy Spirit continues to pour that love into our hearts daily. And God is always there to continue filling up the bucket of love so that it never, and I mean never, runs out. You see, God gives us what (love), when we need it (the right time).

“¹³…but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV)

No matter what else God can give to us, we should remember that the greatest gift he provides for us is love. We are to store it away in our hearts and show it to everyone.

When you are working your way through life, how much are you thinking of the love God has for you? Are we able to abide in that love and show it to everyone? Are we understanding that God gives, the Holy Spirit pours it in us, and Jesus demonstrated love?

I read this morning about Jesus and Peter. Jesus asks Peter if he loves him, three times and Peter stays steady each time with his answer.

“¹⁵When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lamb.’ ¹⁶He said to him a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ ¹⁷He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’” – John 21:15-17 (ESV)

When you are asked something multiple times, how are you feeling/reacting to those questions? I know that for me, I feel as though maybe the one asking knows something that I do not. Looking at this exchange with Jesus and Peter, we know that Jesus knows all and certainly more than Peter, however he is not trying to trip Peter up. He is asking Peter to dig into his heart for the true answer.

In the verses above, Jesus wanted Peter to be sure about the love he had for him. First, did he love Jesus more than the others around them? (ESV Commentary) Second, he asked Peter to confirm the love he had was indeed the depth he proclaimed (are you as sure of yourself the second time as you are the first?). The third time, Jesus asks if Peter is indeed his friend (NIV Commentary).

Peter was grieved after the third time, not angry or questioning of Jesus, but grieved. When we declare to love God, how deep is that love? Do we have the same answer after three times asking as we do after the first? When Peter had to give thought to his love of Jesus, he realized his devotion. His love was deep in his heart and would spill out as he moved forward as the evangelist as opposed to fisherman (NIV Commentary).

I ask myself the following questions: Have you realized the depth of your love for God? When asked, is your answer the same after the third time? How does your life change understanding the depth of your love for God?

We are loved by God. We are in God’s love. We are provided by God’s love.

“¹⁶You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” – John 15:16 (ESV)

You can see that we are children of God because he picked us. We were chosen to be his. There a responsibility that comes with God’s choice of us. We should be obeying and working for God and those actions allow us to ask for needs and Gods will give them to us.

It may be hard to believe that God chose each one of us. He has given the gift of salvation to us by choice and all we have to do is accept. Once we have accepted the gift, we have been made heirs to the rewards of heaven. Once we are heirs, we then have the responsibility to act as heirs in the manner of God.

God’s love is for us and we have only to accept it. He chose us to have his gift and in repayment he only asks of us the below:

“⁹As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” – John 15:9 (ESV)

We are to take solace in God’s love. We are to love as he loves. We are to be the example of God here for others to see.

When you are in the world, are you bearing fruit? Have you accepted the gift of salvation that God has given to us? Are you working to live out God’s love?

When I just quickly think of the word provide, I am drawn to a physical need being met. That may be the case, however providing may be more abstract than that. Look here at the definition of provide in the English Language Learners Dictionary:

Provide: to supply what is needed for someone to live (http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/provide)

As I study, this morning, God has taken me to verses 15 and 14 of John chapter 14. I am sure that I have a number of typographical errors as I write, however this time I meant to place the verses in that order.

“¹⁵If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁴If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” – John 15:15 & 14 (ESV)

For me, reading the verses in this order define more clearly how it is that God will provide for our needs. If you will read on, I will explain my reasoning as to how and why it makes sense to me this way.

You see, I have to be invested in order to follow. Whether in my personal life, work life, spiritual life, or any other situation, without investment in something, I have little if any desire to stick with it. That investment is what drives us to continue and when we continue we are driven to be the best you can at it to be successful. When you stick with it, make it successful, you are rewarded.

God’s love drives should be driving us to stick with him and make him successful. The way that happens is for us to “keep” his “commandments”. When we keep the commandments of God and then ask him to provide for us, he will not disappoint.

I refer back to how I started this morning. When we think of providing, I am immediately drawn to the physical, but you can see that even in the definition, there is only reference to needs. It is we that think physical when what God provides for us to live is, in many cases, more than the physical.

God provides for us. We are tasked with obeying God and doing his commandments, also known as obeying his will. When we are obeying, God rewards us by granting the requests for help with those needs that arise.

When you think about the needs you have, do you start with looking at whether or not you have been obeying? Where can you be sure to know what actions you are to be taking are in accordance with God’s will? We demonstrate our love for God by obeying, are you? When you do ask God to provide, are you looking at the physical need, or are you looking for God’s answers to be bigger and more abstract? Are we loving to receive what God provides?

I am a fan of sports and our boys have played since a very young age. On each team you can see who the leader is and it is likely not the coach or manager. Sure, they run the team, but when it comes to leading, there is another that drives.

We have leaders in life as well and our actions demonstrate who it is that we are following.

“³⁴A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ³⁵By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34-35 (ESV)

Check out the verses above to see how others will know who we follow. Our acts of love are a huge sign that we follow someone greater than this world.

Think of some of the public figures that we see in the world; celebrities, athletes, music and film artists, and politicians. There are many that are constantly in the spotlight for their actions. These actions really show who they are and where there allegiances are. There are a few that I think of immediately that show that they follow God, and it is pretty glaring and awesome.

We are in a position of visibility each day and have an opportunity to demonstrate God’s love as we walk in this world. We are responsible for the presentation of God to the world as we “make disciples”. What a better way to present God than showing we follow him with our presentation of God’s love.

Does the world know who you follow? Are your actions speaking louder than your words? Are you presenting God through the presentation of God’s love?

We should know that God’s love is different from our own and we should carry God’s love in our own hearts.  I know that I still need reminding of the power of God’s love.

 

“³So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’  ⁴But when Jesus heard it he said, ‘this illness does not lead to death.  It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it’… ¹⁴Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus has died’…²³Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again’…³⁵Jesus wept.  ³⁶So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’…⁴³When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’” – John 11:3-4, 14, 23, 35-36, 43 (ESV)

 

First of all I encourage the reading all of Chapter 11 to dive deeper into the love of God on display.  Here we see that Jesus indeed was human and had emotions just as we do.  Verse 3; “Lord, he whom you love is ill”.  And verse 36; “See how he loved him!”  Jesus had very dear friends and they weighed heavily on his heart.  Don’t we all have friends and family that weigh on our hearts?

 

Jesus also did not forget that he was Lord.  He waited for the death of Lazarus before he made any movement to go to him.  He made sure that his love would be manifest for all to see in the glory of God.  He reminded Martha and Mary that Lazarus would rise again, and that as they believe, they never die.  Don’t we have a responsibility to believe as such?

 

Verse 35 speaks again to the emotion that overcame Jesus.  Imagine your dear loved one passing, we cry.  Jesus revealed his humanity.  He is Lord and knew of the action he would take to raise Lazarus, yet, he wept in sorrow to demonstrate his love.

 

Finally we see in verse 43 the power of God’s love to overcome death.  God’s love is displayed here to show us the power of his love to conquer even death.

 

“²⁵Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.  Do you believe this?’” – John 11:25-26 (ESV)

 

We have difficulty understanding the work of God because we think and believe what we see and touch.  After verses 25 & 26, Jesus then demonstrates for us to believe.  God’s love does conquer all and if we forget, we only need remember Jesus’ physical act of love as man and God to regain our understanding of the power of God’s love.

 

Do you doubt the power of God’s love?  Look at your days and events, act on God’s love and see the power of God’s love at work.  I wonder, do we really know that the power of God’s love indeed conquers all?

We know of God’s love and how we are to show that love to others, but is God’s love coming from our hearts?

“45The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” – Luke 6:45 (ESV)

What is in our hearts will show itself when we are pressed.

“43For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.” – Luke 6:43-44 (ESV)

We will produce what is at our heart. If evil, we produce evil, if good, we produce good. When we are filled with God’s love, we produce God’s love.

What is at my heart? That is the question I have to ask and you should also. There are days that I am fully worn out and I have to wonder, am I faking it, what is really at my core and in my heart? If I am living as an example of God’s love, shouldn’t it be easier, if it is indeed in my heart?

I have to think back to my study of God’s Word and remember that being a Christian is hard. We are persecuted each day, sometimes overtly, and others behind our backs. Our job is to continue to show the love of God at all times. The fruit at our hearts will manifest as God sees it.

When you are challenged, what is at your heart? Are you able to show the love of God? What is the fruit that you produce? Is God’s love stored in your heart?

I think that it is interesting watching, listening, and reading the news today. We are bombarded with many things that are considered important issues. Whether border security, taxes, cultural diversity, or charity, they all are billed as most important. The challenge is that they are “important” to only a select group. What is the most important?

“37And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’” – Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV)

Love of God and those around you is most important. In fact, faithful Jews repeat their love of God “twice daily” as stated in my commentary. And by doing so they were more easily able to keep the rest of the law.

We look often to things that are of “importance” to us, and I certainly do not want to claim I know what is of importance to you, but, shouldn’t we as children of God follow his direction as to what leads us? When we place priority in love, everything else falls into place where it belongs.

Where has your importance been placed? Your priority of behavior is based on what? What if you placed your priority as God commands in Loving Him and Loving your neighbor and then allowing everything else to fall in line next?

I have studied that God hates evil and loves good. Isn’t this contrary to the words of Jesus in Matthew to love your enemies? Follow along as I am working through this understanding.

“43You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” – Matthew 5:43-44 (ESV)

Now contrast that with Amos:

“15Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of host, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.” – Amos 5:15 (ESV)

I admit that I am confused. Until, I read the commentary of my ESV Bible for the passage in Matthew; “God hates evil, but he still brings many blessings in this life even to his enemies”. God hates evil actions, not the evil people. Wow, was that an eye opener, and I see how we could believe the quote below being from God:

“Hate the sin, love the sinner” – Mahatma Gandhi

In my study, I find it hard to make this work. We have evil all around us and we are to love those who persecute us. We are to love the people that want to destroy us.

“45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” – Matthew 5:45-47 (ESV)

Even the worst of us are good to those who are good to us. I think of the movies where even the worst of criminals are loyal to those that treat them as they “feel they should be treated”. The key word there to me is “feel”. See the commentary from my NIV Bible: “We must trust the holy Spirit to help us show love to those for whom we may not feel love.”

So here is my amended phrase to help me understand: “Show Love for Your Enemies” as opposed to just “Love Your Enemies”.

Are we allowing our misunderstanding to get in the way of showing our love? We may not feel love, but shouldn’t we be showing God’s love to our persecutors? What actions can you take to better show God’s love?