Abiding in God’s Love

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

John 15:9-10

Christians often talk about how God loves all of us unconditionally. It really doesn’t matter if you believe in Him or not, God still loves you as demonstrated on the cross. As Jesus explained to His disciples,

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

John 15:13

Not only did Jesus lay down His life for His friends but He also did so for the ungodly and for all of us who have sinned against God:

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:6

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

God’s unconditional love is a fact that should be embraced by every believer. Even in those difficult times when we struggle to believe in God’s love, the simple fact is that He does love us unconditionally. We need to remind ourselves that we are loved. We then need to remind others by loving them unconditionally just as God has loved us. This is the example we have in Christ as He describes in John 15:9.

We must also recognize the second part of that verse. Yes, God loves us unconditionally but we must learn to abide in His love. Jesus tells us that if we keep His commandments (if we live in recognition that He is our Lord) we will abide in His love. Does this mean that God’s love IS conditional? No. What Jesus is telling us is that we can move ourselves into a situation where we do not receive the love that God so generously pours out for us all.

Luke 15:11-32 The Parable of the Lost Son

In the parable of the Lost Son Jesus gives us an example of someone who stopped abiding in his father’s love. Jesus describes how the younger of two sons went to his father and asked to receive his part of the family’s wealth. Shortly after receiving what appears to be a generous sum, this son leaves his family and his life behind. Jesus describes how this son went off to a far country where he spent all of his money, most likely living the high life.

The New King James says that he wasted his possessions with prodigal living. The word “prodigal” is an adjective describing wasteful and reckless spending. Other versions of the Bible describe his lifestyle as “riotous” or “wild” or even “foolish.” Today we might say that he was careless or even dumb when it comes to money. Whatever word we use, the point is that he rejected what he had at home in order to do something stupid.

And then there was a famine during which he found himself struggling to find something to eat. It is at that point that he realizes that his father’s servants were eating better than he was. After seeing the truth, he comes to his senses and goes home.

So here’s the question of the day. While the son was off squandering his possessions, did the father stop loving his son? Based on the response we see as the son is walking up the road that leads to the house, I would say that the father never stopped loving his son. The father’s love was not based on the son doing the right thing. His love was not based on anything other than the fact that this was his son, whom he runs out and meets with an embrace. However, while the father continued to love the son, the son cut himself off from this love by the choices he made. I believe this is what Jesus is telling us in John 15:9-10. He loves us unconditionally (and without interruption) but we must choose to abide in His love.

If you are a Christian who has chosen not to abide in God’s love or if you are someone who has not even received God’s free gift of salvation, you are missing out. God loves you but if you choose not to abide in his love you will only find the emptiness that comes when the “fullness” of the life you have chosen runs out, leaving you with an emptiness that will never be filled apart from Jesus.

Yes, God’s love is unconditional and He loves you right now no matter what you have done or are doing. Do you want to abide in God’s love? Do you want to receive His love and to have that emptiness you feel from time to time filled with something that will last forever? Jesus calls you to repentance and instructs that in order to abide in His love you need to keep His commandments.

Is God’s Heart Hurting?

Two mass shooting events in one weekend, one in Buffalo, New York the other in Laguna Woods, California. Each appears to have been motivated by hatred and each was likely premeditated. Now both incidents join a growing list of violent attacks, spaced out enough that they are not yet routine but close enough in time that it could be considered a recurring nightmare. What must this look like from God’s point of view? We know that He is capable of grieving and even weeping over sad and painful situations. Could it be that incidents like the ones this past weekend hurt the heart of God?

I think this is a question that God’s church needs to ask because the answer should dictate how we respond. We teach that the church is Jesus’ hands and feet here on earth. We speak of being God’s ambassadors, here to preach His Gospel and to speak on His behalf. That means that if He has an opinion on mass shootings and on the hate associated with them, we need to know that opinion and speak loudly to let the world know. If God’s heart is hurting due to hate motivated violence, His ambassadors should let the world know exactly where He stands. And if God stands against theories which lead people to travel for miles to shoot other people in a grocery store or in a church, God's church needs to stand with Him speaking out against those theories.

Yes, I know that there are some churches which do speak out when these things happen. There are churches which try to help in these communities and I commend them for their efforts. It just seems to me that the outcry from God’s church should be deafening, letting the world know where our creator stands. I believe that God’s heart is hurting because He is against murder and against hate. I believe Jesus would speak out against racism and against lies and other ideas that foment hate. I believe God has a strong opinion about what happened. His church should find and share His opinion without fear and without getting caught up in politics.

I believe that God’s heart is hurting and it’s time for His church to let the world know.

Will The Church Be A Source of Hope?

Back in 2020 I wrote a post asking “Is The Church Still A Source of Hope?” Today I find myself once again thinking about this question, wondering if the church will be a source of hope if Roe v. Wade is overturned. For the record, this is not a post about the Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice debate nor will I comment on the leaked Supreme Court Document and its implications. My intention with this post is to get you to think about how you will respond to women in need if abortion is no longer an option in your state. Will you (and your church) be a source of hope?

Since news broke of the leaked document I’ve heard a lot about what women will lose if the court votes as indicated. The picture painted by the Pro-Choice side is that the court is planning to take away a source of hope for women and perhaps in the future more minority groups will lose the hope given them by various court rulings. There seems to be a lot of fear of what might happen and of what the path we seem to be on will mean for our future.

As I pointed out in 2020, God’s church is called to be the salt of the earth. Jesus expects us to touch the community around us, making situations more palatable by showing others the hope that is only available from God. I believe that means rising above political debate in order to help those who are in need. In this case that means helping women see that nine months of pregnancy does not mean the end of life. We must be willing now to roll up our sleeves in order to offer hope and to show that in Christ the future is bright.

Some would say that if the court votes as indicated in the leaked document, the church has won a victory. Will the church respond by being poor winners or will we continue (or perhaps once again become) the source of hope that God intends for us to be?