How to love the unlovable

 

Time to fire up the blog again for a while. I have found a book that I think is very good, a book that besides the Bible I can use as a daily devotional. I have been looking for a daily devotional for 10 years now and none of them worked. The book is Note to Self by Joe Thorn, so each day I will share the scripture passage a expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts.

Scripture passage 1 John 3: 11-18

¹¹ This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. ¹² We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. ¹³ So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters,^[c] if the world hates you.

¹⁴ If we love our Christian brothers and sisters,^[d] it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. ¹⁵ Anyone who hates another brother or sister^[e] is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

¹⁶ We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister^[f] in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

¹⁸ Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

 Section from the book

But for love to continue and grow, and for you to love the unlovable, it is important that you meditate on the gospel. Get this—you only know what love really is by looking to your Savior. And we learn it from him continually, not just once. You must daily go to the cross and see your Savior’s love for the unlovable (that means you).

Simple thoughts

Before becoming a Christian I had no idea what love was. I truly thought that love was something that was reserved solely for those living under your roof. There is so much truth in the statement that you only really know what love is by looking at Jesus and thinking continually about the Gospel message. Because not only are we commanded to love God we are also commanded to love the unlovable and trust me for a guy who at one time could only love those under his own roof it took being able to love God first not only to love the unlovable, but anyone outside of my house. Being able to truly love is something that is impossible in our own power and something we have to look to the cross everyday to be reminded that we too were unlovable but Jesus overcame that and with His help we can too. Who do you  need to love today? The answer is everyone.

Locked Up Abroad

The following words are right off of the home page for the TV show Locked Up Abroad

Locked Up Abroad tells first hand experiences of unsuspecting travelers who embarked on what they thought would be a vacation, only to barely make it home ...

I may have seen 5 minutes of the show one time but I get the premise. Today as I was reading 1 Peter 2 and was reminded of this show when it said

¹¹ Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.

Everyone is on this earth only temporarily and we don’t think of this enough. For the Christian we are locked up abroad, we cannot yet go home.  Some day the Christian will be released, either when they die or Jesus comes back again, and not a minute sooner. As the trailer for the National Geographic show says “only to barley make it home” So it is with the Christian, we do not have the right within us to be released from this place and to enter Heaven it is only by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus that we are able to get our pardon and return home. Now for the ones who don’t trust in Jesus even though they think this place is Hell on Earth they have no idea that as bad as it is, this is as close to Heaven they will ever get, compared to Hell this is paradise. Then for the Christian some think that they should be on vacation here until it’s time for Heaven but that is far from the truth because Satan, the jailer of earth makes it difficult for those who love Jesus thus why we all long for home so much and praise God for His promise to get us there.

If you like controversy read this

Christians love to hold to the truth, they love to speak the truth, in a sense they are all about the truth. However there is one truth that many Christians will not talk about and it is the answer to the questions does God love everybody? I found it very interesting when on two different occasions I posted a poll on facebook that asked simply “Does God love everyone?” and not one person answered the question. Then there is the phrase the God hates the sin but loves the sinner. Do you believe that? In this case we have to define sinner and there are two kinds, the repentant sinner who loves God and trusts in Jesus Christ and the unrepentant sinner has nothing to do with either. Ask yourself what is the truth? Does God love everyone? Just keep in mind that if you answer yes that means if God does not love everyone that He hates some. In answering this question don’t just go by what you think is the right answer, or what you want to be the right answer, consult the Bible and not just one verse but the whole thing in context to find the truth. Also think about the implications of your answer if you miss the truth and by the way have fun.