INTENTIONAL LOVE

Have you ever considered how intentional God’s love is to you?

According to God in Ephesians 2:4-10 His elaborate plan of salvation comes to you by grace while you were gripped by the darkness. In Romans 5:8 God says that He shows His love for us “in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We are still sinners but, through the blood shed by Jesus on the cross, God looks upon us as though we were sinless because all of our sins have been paid for by Christ.

God did not wait for you to get your act together; He did not wait until you figured out how to obey Him or please Him. God acted in love and did what was necessary for you to have an eternal relationship with Him (John 3:16).

Now what about you – the object of God’s love and mercy in Christ? Do you initiate expressing God’s love to those who do not deserve it, like yourself? Do you make the first move? Are you proactive in testifying to the love that God has given you?

We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19) Having been loved, are you determined to love? The life of faith is framed in the demonstrations of love. The Spirit of God, that every Christian has been given, enables us to effectively love AS we have been loved.

So where might I begin? A good place may be simply in the way we address others. As wise King Solomon said; inspired by God:

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Proverbs 16:24, ESV

Talk nicely to those you encounter. Your spouse, your children, your parents, your family, your friends, your neighbors, the strangers you encounter. Let your words be full of grace and convey the unbelievable love our God has given to us. God will use such kindness from our lips to bring healing love and peace.

Pastor Craig