3-22-2014

 Good Morning All,

       1 John 4:19; “We love because he first loved us.”

      In the early 1970’s there as a song that was popular called “Teach Your Children Well.”  The basic message was to teach your children about your life and they will teach you about their life and we will all understand each other better.  Granted it is a little corny, but there is a kernel of truth in what they are saying.

    From the very beginning of Scriptures we are told to be sure and teach the children.  In Deuteronomy God, through Moses, tells his people to teach your children what I have commanded you.  We are to do it when we get up, or when we eat or when we lie down.  Teaching our children is a very important part of our faith walk.  It is through teaching that we pass down the truths that we know about God and our salvation.

    Of all the truths that we teach our children, probably the most important is about love.  Love is important because it is a gift, pure and simple, that we give to others.  We cannot charge others for it; we cannot make them earn it or expect them to deserve it; love is a gift that we give away.  Love moves us to do things for others knowing that they may never be able to repay or reciprocate.  When knowing that doesn’t impact our desire to act; that is love.  Love in its purest form is an act self-sacrifice.  Love in its purest form places the other person completely and entirely ahead of yourself.  We struggle to try and do this but we often fail.  Yet we have a great teacher because we see this in the fact the God loved us first.

    We see this by the great and extraordinary action which took place on Calvary.  God gave his Son to die for us.  God gave his complete love for us.  He gave to us salvation and hope.  He pulled us from the jaws of despair and abject darkness and brought us back into his marvelous light.  His love for us never ends and it continues to renew us, restore us and to give us hope.  God teaches us how to love and now he wants us to love.

    We say it so easily; it rolls off of the tongue.  Yet so often we do not love.  We demand, we expect, we cajole, we become angry, we look upon others with disgust ad disappointment but we do not love.  Unfortunately, it is often those who are the closest to us who feel this wrath.  So we struggle and we will never win on our own but we can overcome as long as we look to the cross and continually look to our ultimate and perfect example of love.  So we keep trying struggling with life and its challenges but with God’s love we keep going.

    Knowing that we struggle even as God’s love is for us; we must also recognize that others struggle as well and that at times when we don’t feel their love, God’s grace keeps it there.  We need to remember our battles and then forgive others when they stumble in theirs.  None of us are perfect, so God calls upon us to forgive and to continue to love.

Father of all things good, give us the Spirit of love and forgiveness.  Help us to remember that to love is the greatest gift we can give.  Teach us to love as you love us.  Even as we fail, pick us up and give us the courage to love again.  Help us to reach out to those whom we have not loved as we should.  Lead us to ask for forgiveness and give all involved the power to forgive.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret