TGIF
I have thought this past week about when Cindy and I were parents of our young children and how much time I spent thinking about providing them complete and unconditional love. Raising kids is an awesome responsibility and you only get one chance to get it right, so I remember thinking about that opportunity a lot while we raised our kids. Especially when your children as young teenagers begin to express opinions different than their parents, you take notice and really think more deeply about the concept of unconditional love.
Dealing with these issues experiencing the birth, growth, and maturation of our children has been the single greatest experience of my life (and I think Cindy would agree!). Raising your children and watching them mature into adulthood and having them then have their own families is the greatest reward life has to offer!
Just as we as parents have grown in the area of love of our children as they grow and mature into adults, so does God as our Father enjoy watching each of us grow and mature through our adult lives into the Christians he designed us to be. We are all unique in our walk and we are all sinners, yet we continue to receive His unconditional blessing of our life as we continue to grow in our love for others and resulting service to Him because of our love for Him.
Consider the following scripture:
1 John 3:16-22 – We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. 17 But whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God remain in him? 18 Little children, let’s not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. 19 We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will set our heart at ease before Him, 20 that if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
Now let’s break down the message that John is sending here.
Verse 16 – This represents the standard of love reflected in genuine Christianity. Christian love is self-sacrificing and giving. Christ’s giving up His life for believers epitomized the true nature of Christian love.
Verse 17 – Genuine Christian love expresses itself in sacrificial giving to others’ Christian needs. This is practical love with motivation only for helping others.
Verse 18 – Love is not words, love is not sentiment, but actual deeds of helping others in need.
Verse 19 – A lifestyle of love in action is the demonstrable proof of salvation.
Verse 20 – Although Christians may have insecurities and uncertainties about their salvation, God does not condemn them. Displaying love as a pattern of life is proof that believers stand uncondemned before God.
Verse 21 – True love defeats self-condemnation. When a Christian recognizes in his or her life the manifestation of love through deeds and actions, it results in confidence about his or her relationship with God.
Verse 22 – Another benefit of love is answered prayer. Its presence in a life evidences our submission to God which He blesses by answered prayers.
I believe this short scripture clearly defines God’s role for us as His mature children in His world, and the rewards for our lifelong service to His Kingdom. I also believe the following verse of scripture, so well known to so many people, summarizes all of the above.
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.