Love God and Love People

God's desire for us is summed up with love God and love people. If we want to know God's will for us, those five words contain it. While we may get some flak at times, we can never, ever, go wrong if we love God and love others as Jesus loves us. His love reaches to save all people no matter where they are or what they have done. His love knows no boundaries, and neither should ours.

One of Jesus's main objectives was to restore the image of God to that of the loving Father He will always be. He came to obliterate the false impression the enemy has painted since the beginning, of a God who is a harsh, judgmental, cruel, and a cold taskmaster. This false picture was continually reinforced by the Pharisee's who knew little about love and could not even see God's love sent to save them.

Jesus was the first one to call God our Father. He was the first to reveal the name Abba, which means Daddy. Jesus' life, actions, and death restored the right image of God for all who have eyes to see. He repeatedly tells us that we have seen precisely what the Father and Holy Spirit look like in seeing Him.

…whoever has seen me has seen the Father… John 14:9

Sadly, since Jesus' day, the enemy has succeeded again in corrupting the true image of God. Like in the days of the Pharisee's, the lost know what we are adamantly against, but not the love of Christ. This world needs the love of Jesus that gathers and fulfills all things (Rom 13:18-10), not Pharisee's and the letter of the law that scatters. Our Father desires that we tear down the false picture the enemy has re-erected of Him again and reveal His true loving nature to the world. 

It is the love and kindness of God that gathers, leading to repentance. Let us love and encourage everyone, everywhere, all the time, no matter what it may cost us, just like Jesus. Let us love and die like Jesus, not judge and kill like the Pharisee's.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16 NAS

by: Michael Edwards