JESUS OUR TRUE IDENTITY PART 4

All Loving and Kind

 

As we reflect on our last week’s blog ‘The Faithful One,’ we are reminded of our Lord Jesus and Father who will never leave us and never forsake us no matter what! We discovered how secure we are in the Mighty Hands of God and how no one and nothing can ever take us out of His hands or keep us from His presence. How glorious is that!

 

This week I want to focus on our ‘Loving and Kind’ Lord. These two attributes cause us to ask, “Is He really like that?” There were two situations that happened this week that still make me smile. The first one is, my brother Ree was on Facebook, he created a short video discussing the topic of ‘The Love of God,’ which is very appropriate for our blog this week. One question was asked after he finished his short video, ‘How do I love a person who is a Muslim who has different beliefs than I do; please give me some practical ways to love him?’ So, I noticed Ree didn’t answer the question, so I commented by saying, “My brother, just allow Jesus to love him through you, He is the PERFECT LOVER. Just remember how He loved us while we were lost in sin.” Well, he did not like my response, he wanted to know HOW TO. My question is? How do we not love when we are ONE with Christ who is LOVE? The answer is, we just choose not to. Then, is that really our Father’s love or a self-centered love which is conditional centered on fulfilling the desires of the flesh?

 

The second incident came unexpectedly. My goal was to run across the street to drop off some books to a neighbor and return home. Well, it did not happen that way. When I got to the door and rang the doorbell, my neighbor came to the door and was happy to see me. They were having a party and wanted me to come in and join them. I said no, my hair was not combed, I was dressed in my pajama blouse, and was not appropriate. It did not matter to him, he pulled me through the door, then his wife and guests said, “Welcome Tresca, the Lord must have sent you, we were just talking about you less than 30 minutes ago about the children’s books you have written.” So, I sat down to talk only for a moment, but they insisted that I eat with them. So I ended up staying longer than I anticipated. Here is the conversation we ended up having. My neighbors are Catholic and I visited their church before and they missed seeing me there. I told them I was not Catholic but understand their doctrines and beliefs. One of my neighbors was trying to convert me by asking what I believed and I seemed to fit in their doctrinal position. I told them, I am in love with Jesus and do not believe in denominations because they only separate and divide us; there is ONLY ONE BODY OF CHRIST. One of my neighbors said, “I am so glad I am part of the TRUE church, the Catholic Church.” I smiled and said, “You will be quite surprise when we get home that there will be no Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Church of Christs etc. in heaven, only children of God. There will be people from every tongue, tribe, and nation.” With that said, she walked away; I don’t think I was a good candidate after all. Matter of fact, they both left except my precious next door neighbor who is a Catholic who loves me for me.

 

 

It always amazes me how hard we work to keep walls between each other to pick and choose who we will love or not love, who we will accept or not accept, and which person deserves love and kindness, and which one doesn’t. We are like little kids in the sand box dictating who can get in the sand and play with us and who can’t. We even have the audacity to try to control who will go to heaven and who will not, even though Papa has already made His decision. I have discovered the beauty of my Papa’s love; He gives it away freely to ALL whether they deserve it or not and the truth of it all, NONE OF US EVER DESERVED IT, YET ALL OF US DESERVES IT…BECAUSE WE ARE HIS. A beautiful scripture came to mind from the lips of my beautiful Lord in Matthew 5:43-48 (Amplified) states:

 

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ “But I say to you, love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. ⁴⁶ For if you love[only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? ⁴⁸ You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 

In Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus talks about a love which transcends our ability to do so. Remember, without the love of Christ and the life of the Holy Spirit flowing from our hearts, we are all little children playing in our sand boxes dictating who deserve to play or not. I hate to disappoint you, but Jesus tore down those walls to the sand box that separated us and we are ALL invited to the King’s table and into His eternal sand box. Jesus died for the WHOLE WORLD, EVERY SOUL IS WELCOME BACK HOME! Whatever wall we may have contrived to keep people out, is only a wall of our imagination, because it has been destroyed. Our Father wishes that no man perish, but ALL could find Life, Eternal Life in love with Christ.

 

Another post on Facebook I must mention by Ree, was a discussion he had on a plane one day about homosexuals. A brother in Christ saw him reading his Bible and said, “I am a Christian, what do you think of those homosexuals?” Ree patiently pointed out, our Father does not see us as what we DO, He only sees us as In Adam (lost) or In Christ (found) THE NEW CREATURE. Homosexuals are invited to the table too! I agree with Ree, WE ALL have missed the mark the Father had established and WE ALL have sinned and come short of the pleasure of God. Jesus came because the WHOLE WORLD WAS DEAD and He came to BREATHE HIS LIFE AND LOVE INTO US ONCE AGAIN. The only sin that keeps all of us from experiencing His Eternal Life is, unbelief…not believing into the one our Father has sent, Jesus Christ the Lord.

 

Because our Lord is Loving and Kind, then so are we in this world as we allow His magnificent and abundant love to flow through us to draw ALL men, women, boys, and girls back Home unto Himself. What a MAGNIFICENT LORD WE SERVE!

 

Prayer: Thank you Papa and Lord, you have welcomed me home! I get to enjoy the wonders of your love and kindness every day of my life for now through eternity. May I always be sensitive to you as we share your love together and I in turn, share that same love with others. AMEN