How can the love of God be upon me if I hate my neighbor.
Good evening everyone . Today we’re going to be talking about the love of our Father and how or even why it doesn’t seem to be upon us sometimes . You know that feeling when you have said that thing you shouldn’t have said or done that thing you shouldn’t have done. I said something one day about a customer that had been really rude to me for no reason . I said it to another associate that worked with me , one who although was saved knew I was a Christian . A Christian that has been called into the ministry . I mean we are to be more disciplined then that to let something like that happen , or at least that is what I am told by others. I didn’t think much about it until the following day I went up to her and asked for her forgiveness , her forgiveness for the way I have acted toward that customer after she had left , I couldn’t sleep that whole night thinking " what was I thinking to say something like that ?" I don’t know what kind of day the person had before coming into the store . I didn’t know the walk they had with The Lord . I knew nothing about them other than they were rude to me for no reason and I reacted.
Now due to my reactions someone has seen me and has seen that it’s ok to do that . It’s ok to talk about someone that has wronged you . It is ok to harbor negative thoughts about someone if they deserve it . I mean why not I showed her that it was ok. I became the example to her on how to live a life as a Christian , how to get closer to God by being negative to another . Well it’s true , that is what others think when they see you and I doing something that we shouldn’t be doing . By our actions we are judged.
A very close friend of mine emailed me not to long ago about the deaths of Gerold Ford , James Brown , and Saddam Hussian . Let me read it to and then my reply.
"Three Funerals
Did anybody happen to notice yesterday the picture God painted for us as we
watched the events of the day unfold on every news station around the world.
The portrait of three men’s lives shown clearly through the events of their
deaths. One a wise man, one a foolish man and one a wicked man.
Three men captured the world’s attention by their lives and their deaths.
Their funerals spoke volumes about the course of life they had chosen to
pursue with the few short years God had granted to them. Yesterday, God
opened the Book of Proverbs and showed the world the truths contained in His
sacred Word.
All three men, President Ford, James Brown and Saddam Hussein had choices in
their destiny. Today they have all three stood in front of the God of this
universe with those choices unveiled and judged.
God allowed us to see three men recently.
President Gerald Ford, a man whose faith in God and service to his country
was eulogized by many speakers during the solemn and dignified ceremonies
which marked his passing. A man of character and integrity, not perfect but
made righteous by his faith in Jesus Christ. It was in this righteousness he
lived out his life as a servant to his fellowman and his country. Great men
and dignitaries attended his funeral. All coming to pay respect and honor to
a man most deserving.
James Brown also was eulogized in a funeral ceremony befitting his life
choices. There was blaring rock music, gyrating bodies, costumes, and great
sensual displays of revelry to portray the contribution this man had given
through his life to his fellowman. He lived a life of drugs, alcohol,
immorality and rock music. He was heralded the father of Rap music and the
inspiration of Michael Jackson’s greatness. His funeral with all of it’s
theatrics was befitting the excess of waste his life portrayed.
Then we had the gruesome hanging of Saddam Hussein. His death as gory as his
life. A brutal murderer and dictator, hung by his neck and secreted away in
the middle of the night to an unmarked grave. Thousands of Iraqis celebrated
his death for through his life he had brought untold misery and death to
many. A man so wicked that it seemed the world breathed a collective sigh of
relief at the pronouncement of his death.
Three men, three men who left their mark on the entire world, three famous
men. All three have now stood before their Creator to answer for the choices
they made in their life as you and I will someday.
There is only one choice and Gerald Ford’s life exemplifies the nobility of
choosing to walk in harmony with The Creator through the acceptance of Jesus
Christ as his Redeemer.
James Brown chose to walk in the flesh. His life’s work glorified the flesh
and his death magnified the flesh.
Saddam Hussein chose evil. He was a narcissistic megalomaniac. His life
glorified evil and his death was gruesome.
This all played out in one day. God painted a great picture for mankind to
see. I pray people got His message."
Now for my reply.
But don’t forget all three only showed us what was on the outside not what was on the inside , in their heart . Saddam I don’t know much about but James Brown did make many songs and contributions to gospel music as well as rock and roll. His life may have been marked with drug use and other fleshly desires but we don’t know his heart only God knows his heart as well as Saddam . No one is above sin , and threw Christ no one is rejected when they call upon His name . Remember the story of the priest and the sinner praying and the priest said he was thankful he wasn’t like the sinner next to him but the sinner rose and beet his chest and screamed oh what a sinner am I , who was redeemed that day. I would like to know that when Saddam was sentenced to death the hours before he was to be hanged he came and asked forgiveness for his sins and for the mercy of God to befall onto him , to be in the grace of God. We don’t know , we won’t know till that day when we are before Father and our own life is opened will we have Jesus next to us erasing the sins of our life or will Jesus be on the other side convicting us of our sins not forgiven and then be eternally separated from the love of God . Three paths were shown but three hearts were unknown. God Bless
Now I say this Although we will be judged by our actions only God knows the heart . Threw Christ , only He can forgive us of our sins. Now our sins may not be the same a Saddam but then again you tell me one sin that God will allow in Heaven or that He prefers more than another for us to do? For it is written ... "all sin is distasteful to God." and that when we call upon Jesus into our heart all sin is forgiven . Is what Saddam did or James Brown in the way that he lived any worst than the gossip we say or the unforgivenness we have for someone . Is it worst than when we say that white lie or visit that porn site , is it? No , ALL sin is distasteful to God and NO sin will be allowed in Heaven.
I know that of the worlds worst murders Saddam is up there pretty far , but even he could be saved , we don’t know because we don’t know his heart and guess what his sins are no greater that the ones you and I commit . His are greater to us , but to God , no different. I do know that he did fallow what Romans 13 1 says... "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities , for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. " NIV.
We all had some hatred for him for what he had done to his own people but even that was cutting us short from the love of God. As I stated earlier how can the love of God be upon me if I hate my neighbor . If I don’t love my enemies why should God love me ?
We were all enemies of our Father before we came to Christ and asked Him to be our saviour , we were enemies of God but now are sons of God . He loved us when we were against Him , and everything He stood for , enough for Him to want us to have a choice in spending eternity with Him . He sent His son here knowing that we would kill Him . Would you have sent your child , your only child to your enemy knowing they would kill him . I don’t mean to war because there is only a chance but to your enemy knowing full and well that on a specific day they were going to kill him? To murder him and degrade him in public , ridiculing him , beating and whipping him almost to the brink of death then killing him .
God did , that’s His grace to us . That is how much He loved us . That is how great His love is for us now , and yet so many of us turn our backs to Him in disobedience .
With Christmas behind us we all gave gifts to loved ones and friends . How many of us would go out and give a gift that exceeded all of us . I mean we really put everything into it , we sold our car , mortgaged the house , depleted our checking and savings all for that one special gift . That one that really said how much we loved this person . Now you give them the gift and they reject it and take it back to the store . You would feel crushed , angry , all kinds of emotions would be flowing threw your body and not one of them would be love for this person. You would start plotting revenge . It’s like how dare they do this to me after all I have done. After all the energy I had put into doing this for them and they do this to me , well I’ll never talk to them again, or I’ll show them... God knew this in advance but He still knowing what we would do to His son , sent Him here all because of His love for us . For us to , while we are here , get to know His son and accept Him into our lives as our saviour. God wants us to be with Him on that great day , the great feast with our own place at the table but this can only happen when we first accept Jesus into our lives and then live by the way of Jesus .
When Jesus was here what did they do . They followed for a while , some more than others . Twelve followed Him until the capture . But then after all He did we killed him , just like that present we gave to our enemy and they rejected it and threw it away . We would get so angry we would let that anger build up in us , build up in our heart and every time we would see them we would not forgive them ..... Now, were would we be if God had done the same thing ? If He had had the same response as us. He knew Jesus was to be crucified and yet He still sent Him . But this had to happen for without it we would not have the gospel , we would not have salvation . In Romans 11 :7 states " What them? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain , but the elect did. The others were hardened ." NIV After His death God stilled loved us more than we can imagine because He knew in advance that threw the gift of Jesus we would have redemption and salvation to be with Him for eternity.
He sent Jesus as a gift for us either to accept or reject . To accept a life with Him or a life of this world . With that choice, which did you accept ? With which do you live by and for ? Jesus is the gift , He is the prize , He is the salvation of this world and yet so many reject Him . But yet God still loves us. He still wants us to come to Him for direction in our lives . Threw His son we can. We can come to the feet of God because of the price Jesus paid for you and me . Father wants us as we should want everyone good or bad to come to the banquet feats with God on that day . Everyone even the worst of the worst we should earnestly seek and pray and want them to repent and seek salvation from Jesus. For when we want them to seek salvation and repent , in our heart we love them instead of hate them and in our heart earnestly want and ask for their salvation and redemption only then can we truly feel the love of God . When we want this for our enemies and seek ways to witness to them , remember faith without action is dead, and love them as we love ourselves, then , we will know the love of God . We will feel the love of God upon us . For He loved us that much when we were enemies of Him , when we sinned against Him. That is the all everlasting love of God.
Romans 12:21 sums it all up on how we are to live "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." If you fallow that simple rule and keep Jesus in your heart , then I’ll see you at the dinner table in Heaven . Remember When we hear of ones life being lived like this in sin be it small lie or sex or murder, whatever the sin is , don’t go with every one else and say the things they say and the jokes they joke about but pray . Pray for your brother or sister caught up in that sexual addiction , pray for the redemption of that government official that has been caught up in corruption or other sins played out for our entertainment . Pray for that murders redemption as well as the grieving families of the victims . Pray for that wife or husband cheating on the other . Pray for one another . When you step in and pray for one another your prayers are heard and if in God’s will they will be brought into redemption and salvation. Thank you and God bless.
