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If We Are In Our Right Mind, It Is For You
(2Co5:11-21)
God is love (1Jn4:8).
His love never changes, and
To reveal His love He pays the highest price.
Faith is being moved by His love, and
The life of this faith is being pressed by His love and becoming an ambassador of His love.
The love between two lovers can be passionate for a while but it eventually changes because
Circumstances change and if there is any loss or harm they go their separate ways.
Among different types of love in the world
The love of a parent for her child changes the least because
Even in one's right mind, being sober, it is the unconditional love that asks no questions.
The Bible tells the story of God who
Knows how man is made yet loves him and
Sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for him (1Jn4:9-11).
It also tells the story of man, Adam, the ancestor of all men, who was
Deceived by the devil (diabolos, the separator) and sinned (Ge3:4-5).
Consequently, man became separated from God and man from man (Ge2:23, 3:12),
Becoming individualistic and self-centered.
Cain blamed his brother for his failed sacrifice (Ge4:4-8) and
Killed him with his own hands.
Noah's son accused the mistake of his father who had been drunk (Ge9:21-25), for which
Noah cursed him once he became sober.
To gain the birthright from his brother (Ge25:29-34)
Jacob swindled him with a bowl of stew.
The content of the Law given to Israel was
To love God and their neighbors but revenge those who sinned against them (Dt6:5).
When they kept the laws God loved them and blessed them to prosper (Dt7:12-13),
While He repaid without holding back those who hated Him (Dt7:9-10).
Though they feared God and became hypocrites before others (Mt23:27-28; Rm8:15),
They were reminded of God's love for them by
The sanctuary with the stone tablets inside the Testimony.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body.
He would give His life and reveal the Father's perfect love for all men (Mt5:48, 20:28).
Without any resentment or complaint He died, and said, "It is finished (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1) Fulfilled the Father's will of loving sinners, even sacrificing His only Son (Jn10:17; 1Jn4:10);
2) Condemned the devil the separator (1Jn3:8); and
3) As one man died in place of all men, shedding His blood to raise them to life (Mt20:28).
The Father raised Him up and
He entered the kingdom of the Son whom He loves (Col1:13).
The Holy Spirit came and
The love of God began to be preached.
He pours out into the hearts of the believers the love of God (Rm5:5).
The Christian is he who has
Become beside himself for His love (2Co5:13-14).
Therefore, he resolves to love even those who will cause loss or harm so
When they ask for a tunic he is ready to give also his cloak,
When they force him to go a mile he is ready to go two miles and
When they slap him on his right cheek he is ready to turn the other also (Mt5:38-48).
Without asking he is ready to give unconditionally for
He deeply longs to one day
Enter the kingdom of the Son God loves.
O Lord,
Let us who have been moved by this love and have wept
Become fools who do not calculate.
Let us intentionally seek and go to those who are ungrateful, who reject and persecute us.
Let us share and preach the love of Christ! Amen.