The Minor Prophets Speak To Today
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For this is how God loved the world:
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For this is how God loved the world:
At this Christmas season, there is much hate, much vitriol, much anger
among Christians, especially against Islam and ISIS now that terrorism has reached
our own shores a second time. But Christmas is when Christians celebrate the birth and life of Christ who called us to love one another and to love our enemies. In other words,
to love as God loves.
As I recently read a thread on Facebook about this very issue, I was saddened to see Christians' secularized views of what love does or doesn't mean. They made statements based on these non-biblical meanings and presumptions that twisted the meaning of their pastor's words when he reminded them that we are failing to love our enemies of today and our enemies in the public debate.
These wrong presumptions of what love calls for, what love means,
were then used to put down the call of God through their pastor by claiming his plain words
meant things like condoning wrong actions and even the killing of Christians and others by ISIS in the Mideast.
Such rhetoric is commonly used among American "Christians"
to dismiss the call of Christ's direct command
on our lives.
But the whole of scripture and the act of God sending his one and only son tell a different story. Only these can define what the love Jesus commanded looks like.
Scripture and its record of God's love reveal that ---
Love Does Not Mean to Condone Wrongdoing.
Love Does Not Mean to Not Call Evil Evil.
Love Does Not Mean to Protect from Due Punishment.
Love Does Not Mean to Passively Allow or Accept Abuse of Others.
Love Does Not Mean to Not Get Angry.
* * * * *
Love Does Not Drive People Deeper into Their Evil
Buts Draws Them Out of Evil
Or at Least Makes Visible a Way to Escape
The Evil that Has Entrapped Them.
* * * * *
Love means to weep over the control of evil
in the objects of our love.
Love means to be willing to die
to save them from that evil
and to rescue them
from captivity by
the evil one.
Love like God loves. God always provides a way
and often provides years to repent
and change.
He does not rush to destroy
just as he did not abandon or destroy you.
Photo Credits:
Dawn Chorus of Christ - Christmas Day 2013 by Stephen B Whatley, all rights reserved @ flickr.com
Reaching Out By Faith To The Cross by Kathy Luther, all rights reserved @ flickr.com
A Christmas Tree by Mike, all rights reserved @flickr.com
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