God Loves Everyone?

Happy Friday everyone! 🙂 Hope you had a good week and will have a good weekend coming up!

Recently, the articles I’ve read during my free time has something to do with God’s love. Just last night, I read this article called “I went to a strip club“. As a follower of Christ, there will be times when you will find yourselves in some pretty awkward situations. It is easy for us to quickly judge others based on what/how they look like without a full understanding of their situations/reasons for why they are in these situations in the first place.

These people are just like each and everyone of us. They desire to be loved, cared for and respected. They are created in the image of God! It’s so sad to see and hear that they are Christians and churches out there who still marginalise certain groups of people and make them feel like they are on the HATE LIST!

As I was pondering on this topic, I came across today’s ODB devotion: http://odb.org/2016/05/13/unseen-yet-loved/ 

INSIGHT:

Why was there so much tension between Jewish and Gentile followers of Christ? In part, the answer is found in how ancient Israel had come to understand their relationship with God. As His “chosen people,” Israel had been given the law of Moses and a land of promise in order for them to live in relationship with God and with one another. Clearly, no other people group was given this unique access to and relationship with God.

This relationship, however, was never intended to be simply for their benefit. As they lived in covenant relationship with God, they were also intended to draw the surrounding Gentile nations to the God who sought relationship with them as well. The prophet Isaiah had taught them, “He says, ‘It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth’” (Isa. 49:6).

As a result, Israel’s relationship with God had a missional element to it—to bring the nations to the Creator who loved them. By the time of Christ, however, this mission had not only been lost, it had been turned inside out. In the minds of the Jewish people, Gentiles had become enemies of God’s people rather than objects of God’s love.

Perhaps that is why Jesus reached out to Gentiles wherever He went: a Roman centurion, a Samaritan woman, a Canaanite woman, and more. The Son of God was teaching us by example that He had come for the lost sheep of Israel, but that He had also come to bring light to the world (John 8:12; 9:5).

The heart of His children should reflect the heart of His Father, who is “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Reflection Questions

1. How does Jesus’s attitude toward “outsiders” inform our love for those who do not yet know Him?
2. Are there people in your life you have been hesitant to reach out to?
3. How can we, in prayer, seek the help and heart of our loving Father to reach out to those who need the Savior?

For further study on this important topic, read the free Discovery Series booklet How Can I Break the Silence?

Related article: http://odb.org/2016/05/12/ambassador-of-love/

I hope today’s post will help you reconsider your attitudes and behaviours towards the people around you. Regardless of their gender, appearances, cultural backgrounds, ethnicity, beliefs, values, religions etc we are called to love them (including our enemies!)

We are to be ambassadors of God’s love and mercy. (Twit this!) 🙂

Have a blessed weekend everyone! =)

God bless,

Annalisa  ^^

P.S. If you have been offended or deeply hurt, on behalf of all the Christians, I’m really sorry for the unnecessary heartaches! Please know that you are LOVED! (We as humans make mistakes all the time, but thank God that He keeps on molding and shaping us to be more like Him everyday!) Hope this song will bring comfort to you! ❤