The picture shows the Scottish trees and a bird rests in the branches. On the cold days colour can cheer your day. The colour of the world is all around. The diverse nature of the earth is startling for all to see, we just have to open our eyes or look from a different perspective. Looking directly towards these trees, you at first don’t see the colours because of the sun, but move to a slightly different place where the sun does not dazzle and you start to see the colour appear.
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Some people think Jesus was some type of stereotyped passive sixties hippy, if I may use the term. But when reading the text of the gospels I do not get that. In fact God wants us to be passionate about our faith, but we must tender it with love.
Jesus was passionate about everything He did on earth, at least I get that sense from Him, like there was a sense of urgency.
With all the atrocities being committed around the globe I feel there should be a sense of urgency from us.
Is it simply okay to just live a life out in love and hope that it will be good enough?
Perhaps it is for some; as John said in his letters
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Paul tells us that we can have many things in life but if we do not live it in love then all is lost. But I still feel there is an urgency to get the message out that Christ is the saviour, He died for us. To be uncompromising on the message of the bible – it hasn’t been re-written with public opinion and so that may lead us to defend a position that our friends do not hold. But we must do so in love, seeing that we want everyone to be saved by God’s only Son Jesus Christ.
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
God could see all the pain and hurt manifested in the world through sin; He still does. He must have been in great pain to make a decision to send His only Son to die for us, after all who are we?
I pray that we have a sense of mission this week ahead, that we get up and actively take part in Gods kingdom, but we do all this with love in our hearts knowing that we hold the message of truth and the message of salvation, freely available and offered for all who will accept. We do this in love, not forcing people to follow, but asking them to in love.
Amen
with blessings
Graham
365 Exhortations 