MY GOD TEACHES LOVE

If you do not believe there is a God and life after death you must depend upon yourself and the government for survival.  If you believe in a God, you probably do not need to depend upon government but rely tremendously upon God’s help and your own accountability.  The God we believe in promises, if we do His “will” He will meet our needs.  Based on the fiscal deficit of governments around the world, I would rather have a God I could believe in and trust to give me guidance in living a good life than anyone else.

Luke 12:24 – 26 – “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?   Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”

I don’t go to bed at night worrying about tomorrow.  I am not stressed out because I don’t drive a Jaguar. I am not concerned about those who predict a reversal of the planet’s magnetic field is going to happen around the time the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012. I don’t believe in the unimaginable horror coming that all of the nuclear plants will meltdown, volcanoes will erupt and we will have flooding of Biblical proportions caused by global warming.  But, of course, we need to be talking about the same God Who makes these promises that we can depend upon that won’t occur until the Tribulation and no one knows that time or day.  Religious radicals have a God who teaches hate and killing.  My God’s love is unconditional and even inconceivable.

Luke 10:27 – “He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  We are told to love God and others as ourselves.  My God teaches not to hate or be revengeful.  We can’t be talking about the same God who is asking for total elimination of everyone not believing as their God teaches.

Love requires obedience.  You are not going to be faithful, committed and obedient to someone you do not love.  The more likely you love God or others, the greater you will be obedient and committed to showing kindness.  You cannot read the Hebrew Bible and not realize in the New Testament Christ, the Son of God, loved His Father God, to the point of dieing willingly to bring a new covenant of grace and love.

Love promotes respect.  A person having problems loving is an individual who will have a difficult time in life and normally a rebellious attitude.  Marriage without a certain amount of unconditional love and respect will struggle. Until we learn to return God’s love, it could be difficult to love one’s neighbor. True love does not concentrate on what not to do but on all we can do to show our love.

If a person struggles with a rebellious attitude it may be because of being unaware of how to love.  A child that has a problem understanding love normally will have a difficult time showing respect to parents and authorities.  Love must be shown and modeled for children to pick up on.  You cannot teach hate and payback and see a person full of God-kind of love.

The Book of Hebrews says one can enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.  There can be temporary benefits from wealth, popularity, status and achievement and be blind to the long-range benefits that God’s kingdom offers.  Believing in a Christian God helps us see beyond the world’s value system to visualize the eternal valves that the Bible promises.

People living without a belief in God may have troublesome times expressing any unconditional love.  I would suspect that the love they know and give requires something in return.  But, of course, that is true of some types of religious people also.  Most people never understand the love God has for them and that He expects us to have that same kind of love.   Just because you are a Christian doesn’t mean you have developed an unconditional love.  I have known a number of Christians who continue to love as the world does.    However, it is a process.  It is something that can be learned and acquired over time.

Having a loving attitude, you don’t take everything personably.  Also the unbearable becomes bearable and in the world’s darkness there is a glimmer of light.  If we believe in Jesus we can accept things that we may not be able to understand and the problems in life that we encounter, we can still remain calm and at peace.  The life we live, to a great degree, depends upon our meaning and understanding of love.  I conclude that those non-believers in the Judeo/Christian God have a different perspective when it comes to love and the treating of others.