Love of God, Part 2

The scripture passage that declares that "God is love" is resonating in my heart this morning. Several days ago I made a post about the love of God yet the Spirit keeps reminding me that the true love of God is present among us if we would only accept and respond to His presence. We are living in a very troubled time; the lives of many people are in disarray and they are walking in the midst of hopelessness and helplessness. How will the modern day church respond? Will we respond in harshness, criticism, judgmentalism, or with the spirit of Christ? The ministry of Christ reflects concern, care, compassion and grace. We must stop withholding from people what they so desperately need; they need to feel the love and acceptance of God. I know that many of us become uncomfortable with this statement; we are afraid that "sinners" will receive the wrong message. But can we not trust the Spirit to deliver the "right" message which says that there is a better way to live and that God desires to love us so much that we will choose to live the better way? Each of us will encounter people throughout the day that are in need of someone to be truly interested in the cares, burdens, and even sins that they are carrying on a daily basis. Will we choose to look the other way because our heart is captured by religious superiority or will we choose to extend a helping hand of relief and hope to the lost and weary? I firmly believe that many of us will choose the latter option; we are ready to respond to people with the genuine love of Christ and His desire to make a difference in their lives. The services at Brecksville this week have fueled this passion that I sense is rising in my heart. I am determined more than ever to fully reflect the heart of God in all that I do; I am talking about my private life as well as the public time of ministry. The world is looking for the church to live what we declare on our church signs, our advertisement materials, the stationary that we use, the songs we sing, and yes, even the sermons that we preach. I am asking God to prepare my heart to be filled with His fresh and awesome LOVE so that I can be a servant in the midst of a hurting world. Will you join me in that prayer today? I trust that this post will challenge you to think about your life and the life of your church? Are we reflecting His LOVE in our actions as well as the words that we speak? God will confirm His Word as we put into action the true heart of God.