Sunday, June 15, 2008

Do I Love the Same People God Does?

Given the fact that I am in a Sunday School class that is made specifically for graduate students, and given the fact that it is Summer, our class is obviously on hiatus. Instead, we, along with the entire university ministry are watching a video series called "Breakaway".

Today's lesson was about loving people. Yeah, that's pretty simple stuff, right? Well this session was not just about loving people, but about loving people that you find difficult to love. The argument was made that God so loved the world that He gave His only son. Again, this isn't earth-shattering. The first verse everyone learns is John 3:16. This session, however, made the point that even those people that drive you nuts and make you angry are covered in Christ's blood.

Think about it. That guy that cut you off in traffic, that waitress that charged you for an extra drink, that lady at the supermarket that was rude to you, that child that stole money from you to go get that fancy tattoo; all of these people were so loved by God that He gave His son for them. They may seem like rude, dishonest, degenerates to you, but to God, they are His children.

The point is, that Christ died for everyone, not just those of us that profess to love Him. He died for the unbelievers as well. He died for those that are hard-hearted and vengeful. If God loved them so much, and we claim to love God, why do we treat people that aren't in our circle so poorly?

Think to yourself: how would the world change if every person treated every other person as if they were important enough to God that He gave His son as a sacrifice?

I know I have problems with this, especially at school. However, my eyes were really opened today. IF I LOVE GOD, AND GOD GAVE HIS SON FOR ALL MANKIND (AND NOT JUST THE BELIEVERS) THEN I NEED TO TREAT ALL MANKIND (AND NOT JUST THE BELIEVERS) AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST.

So, the next time you get a bit agitated at someone, think before you speak. Remember that Christ died for that person because He loves Him. Might this change your response?

1 comment:

  1. Good reminder! I read a Christian fiction book once that had a theme of God grafting his love on our hearts so that we could love more like he does. It is a constant challenge.

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