Our love has limits but God’s love is limitless. God offers His love and forgiveness to everyone, the good, the bad, and the ugly. He offers forgiveness and love to murderers, dope addicts, child molester, rapist, etc. In our minds, we think how can God love people who do evil the same as He loves those who try to do good? After watching the movie, “The Shack”, and discussing it with my son, I prayed for more understanding of how God’s love works. How can God love and expect us to love and forgive someone who has hurt us, when they have hurt someone we love, especially our child as was the case in the movie? God is our Father. That is the answer. It’s like telling a mother whose son has committed murder not to love her child anymore. As parents we love our kids unconditionally. We may hate what they did and punish them for it, but do we love them any less? No, we forgive them and we love them just as much as before. That’s how God feels about us. We all will be held accountable for our actions, but God shows us mercy and grace every day. I for one shudder to think what would happen if He punished us for every wrong thought or action we did. Why is it that we expect God to forgive us and have compassion, but will not extend the same to our brothers and sisters? We tend to look at what others “deserve”, forgetting we need God’s love and compassion just as much as the next person. Sometimes we even go as far to ask God to punish our offenders the way we want them to be punished. What’s’ up with that? We want God to punish them but not us? God doesn’t work that way.
I was told once that if a person stepped on my toe, I would kick them to the curb. (that’s how we said it back in the day). You know what I mean, “Boy Bye” or “By Felicia”. However you want to say it. The bottom line is you are done! It was a true statement at the time. And to think I was proud of it! I felt if you made a mistake, you didn’t deserve a second chance or my forgiveness. I had no compassion at all. That was the old me, thank God I am a new creature in Him. Earlier this year I was convicted by the Holy Spirit. I felt hurt, and I blamed the other person entirely. (although I was partly to blame). The old me kicked in and I dismissed the person, never wanting to see or hear from this person again. Even though I had accepted the apology, there was no forgiving. Wow. I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit now lives in me. Trust me when I say, He will convict you when you are wrong! He had me asking myself some hard questions. I had to look at things from the other person’s perspective. I’m telling y’all, thank God I done changed! I had to look at the person’s heart and not the actions. Isn’t that what God does for us? We all make mistakes. We should not be so quick to dismiss someone from our lives because they make one. With that being said, let me say that forgiveness does not mean letting someone keep stepping on all your toes before you say ouch. Sometimes enough is enough! Forgiveness does not mean forgetting when someone continues to hurt you. Pray about it. Listen to God. He will let you know when to forgive and go on and when to forgive and let go. There really are times when we do have to say “bye boy” or “bye Felicia”. I’m just saying.
Anyway, I passed my forgiveness test and I am so grateful that God loves us where we are, but I am more grateful that He does not leave us there. Scripture says He does not want anyone to perish. That is why He is patient with us. Unfortunately not everyone will be saved, because not everyone wants to be saved. There will be murderers and criminals in Heaven, only because they repented and asked God to forgive them for their crimes. And they accepted Christ into their hearts. There will be those who here on earth went to church every Sunday and did good works, but may not be in Heaven. Why, because it was all a show for this world and they did not in their hearts accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Sadly some feel they do not have to repent for what they call “small sins.” In God’s eyes there are no big and little sins. Big or small, He hates the sin but loves the sinner. In God’s eyes, disobedience is disobedience. What the sin was is irrelevant to God. We as humans get hung up on that. He can love and forgive the serial killer as well as someone who stole a piece of candy, if they truly repent. So Yes, God does love everyone, even murderers. It is the sins and the actions of the person that God does not love. Before Paul became a Christian he was persecuting Christians and doing horrible things to them but God loved him still and forgave him. (Galatians 1:13). God turned this man from a killer of Christians into a lover of Christ and His people. Don’t take my word for it, read the Bible for yourself. Moses was a murderer, Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, Peter betrayed Christ, and David committed adultery. But I believe they’ll all be in Heaven. We may not have done any of those sins, but we sin. Thank God we are not judged according to our own actions (or we ALL would be in trouble). Please read today’s Scriptures. If we try to live by His Word daily, it will help us to love one another, not to be quick to judge, and to forgive as God forgives us. Love and Blessings…
EMMANUEL 