Those who are indifferent to the Lord are doing a disservice to their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It doesn’t just stop with family. Friends and neighbors are also affected in this disdain.
There is a correlation between those apart from God and our culture today. At a recent doctor’s appointment, my nurse who shared that her daughter is a criminal justice major about to start a career on a nearby police force, says this nation is not safe anymore. She shook her head at what is true. Our world can be a troubling place.
Like my nurse that day, I understand the senior in my congregation who says in dismay, “It seems everything out there today is getting worse and worse.”
Right with my nurse and my senior, I see the front page of this paper. I watch the news. I agree that some things are so very painful today—truly awful.
But here’s a reminder. Awful events happened during Jesus’ lifetime, too. King Herod’s edict that all baby boys under the age of two must be killed was the driving force that scurried new parents Joseph and Mary from Bethlehem to Egypt with their hopefully quiet baby Jesus in tow.
That was no easy trip.
And crucifixion crosses were the norm, not the exception, in Jesus’ lifetime. Hanging upstarts and troublemakers on crosses lining the thoroughfares was a way the Roman soldiers and prefix kept their underlings in line.
Here’s my point. Times have always been troubling. What, then, are we to do? Love God. Seriously. In the face of enormous evil—and that’s what it is, evil—love God.
Robert J. Morgan says what I find true. “We can’t love God too much; but we can love God better.”
Listen to Exodus 20: 4-6. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
This love starts somewhere, so let it start with you and the church you attend religiously, intermittently, or avoid all together. Consider (or reconsider if you’re on the outs with church life) what love in the plural can do.
I know I didn’t magically double church attendance with that last paragraph, but here’s the thing. Love. Love God. Do the wild, crazy thing that opens your heart to loving God by loving others.
I’m not talking about ‘do good’ humanism which is beautiful, yes, but isn’t enough alone because without the best base (God), humanism only goes so far. I’m talking about intentionally tapping into God by being Christlike enough to move from selfishness (we all have it) to service.
Greg Laurie says, “When you really love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, you will have greater love for other people.”
Funny how that happens. No. Really. It’s funny, like it is something you can laugh at years from now because with joy—true, easy, obvious, in-your-face joy—you’ll be able to see where you were and where you are now.
The answer to violence is peace. The answer to darkness is light. The answer to hatred is love.
“You will be able to love people who once drove you crazy,” Laurie says. “Jesus tells us to love Him more than anyone or anything else, and the result will be that you also end up having more love for people than you had before.”
What do we do in a sometimes scary world? We love God.
It is true. We really can’t love God too much, but what a world it will be when we love God better.
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