THE LOVE OF GOD

One of the worst doctrines that the church (religion) teaches people is that while God loves us, He is likely to let bad things happen to us just to teach us things. That is NOT true. It is very wrong to assume that bad things happen because God is angry with us.  Bad things happen because of wrong choices that we, as humans, make. The “anger” of God is no more, ever since Jesus died for the sin of humanity. And unless you accept that God loves us unconditionally, (not because we are lovely, but because he is LOVE), you won’t ever understand what all has been done for you, by Him.

God loves us so completely!  If we understood the love and compassion and the mercy that God has towards us, we would never, never, never doubt Him!  Everything that God created was for His pleasure!  He created us to love Him and desired that we receive His love and enjoy all of His creation around us, created for our enjoyment!  

But if we follow God’s loving guidelines laid out for us in the Bible, His Word for us, we will see just how much He cares for us and loves to make us happy.  He gave us everything we would need for this life:  beauty all around us from the dirt to the grass, trees, flowers, to the blue sky and sunshine; to food, water, air,animals, our dear friends, and precious children...you can see God’s love everywhere you take the time to look!  

God’s love has been manifested to mankind since the beginning, at the time of Creation. God’s greatest love was manifested when He sent His son, Jesus Christ, as a helpless baby, born to a yielded, believing and humble young woman who miraculously conceived the Christ child by God’s Holy Spirit. The news of her pregnancy was so shocking that when Joseph, to whom she was engaged to be married, wanted to send her away to avoid her punishment, which would have been death by stoning...in his sleep, an Angel appeared to him and instructed him to marry her and raise the child. And the Angel told Joseph that the child was to be named Jesus.

Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem, and was announced by Angels  from Heaven to shepherds in the surrounding hillside.  They were awestruck as a brilliant, almost blinding light burst upon them from the starry sky and a host of Angels filled the night with their Heavenly declaration and song: "Glory to God in the highest! Peace on Earth to men of good will! For unto you this day is born a SAVIOUR, Christ the Lord!"

Far away in the East, another herald appeared in the Heavens, a bright star that caught the attention of certain wise men and astrologers, who interpreted its meaning and followed it, crossing thousands of miles of desert, as it led them to the exact location of the young child in that little town of Bethlehem, where they honoured Him with their precious gifts.

Jesus’ earthly father was a carpenter, a humble hewer of wood with whom He lived and laboured, conforming to our human ways of life, custom, language and living that He might understand and love us better and communicate with us on the lowly level of our own limited human understanding!--He learned to love mankind. He saw our suffering and had great compassion on us, longing to not only heal the sick and broken bodies, but also to save our immortal spirits!

When He began his life's work, He went about everywhere doing good.--Helping people, loving children, healing heartaches, strengthening tired bodies, saving whom He could. He preached His message, and He lived His message amongst us. He not only ministered to our spiritual needs, but He spent a great deal of time ministering to our physical and material needs, miraculously healing the sick, and all who were crippled or possessed by demons.  He fed them when they were hungry and shared His life and His love!

His message was to abolish the old law and bring in God’s new law of love.  For those who were hungry for God’s Spirit and for changes from the bondage of the laws of old, Jesus was the answer!  The religious rulers of the Synagogue, the Priests, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees fought against His message and rejected Him, and in the end they killed Him.  But as He ministered to and healed those who wanted to follow Him, He said, “you must become as a little child to enter Heaven, and to understand spiritual truths!”  He was not a mere religious reformer, He was here to tell the truth of God’s new law of love.  

He made Himself of no reputation, and was a companion of drunks and prostitutes, publicans and sinners, the outcasts and downtrodden of society. He even told them that they would enter the Kingdom of Heaven before the so-called "good" people, the self-righteous and religious leaders who rejected Him and His message of love. The power of His love and of His appeal was so great and gave such great faith to the sincere truth-seekers that they didn't hesitate to drop everything they had and forsake all immediately to become His full-time followers!

Once, while crossing a lake in a small boat with His disciples, when a great storm arose and the boat was in danger of sinking, He commanded the winds and the waves to cease--and immediately there was a great calm! His disciples, astonished by such a demonstration of miraculous power, exclaimed to one another, "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!"

Throughout His ministry He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, cleansed lepers and raised the dead! In fact, so marvellous were His works that they prompted a leading member of the religious establishment that most bitterly opposed and resented Him to exclaim, "We know that You are come from God!--For no man could do these miracles that You do unless God were with Him!"

As His Message of Love spread and His followers multiplied, the established religion and its jealous leaders realised what a threat this formerly unknown carpenter had become to them! His doctrine of love was liberating the people from the control of the hypocritical high priests, and was therefore destroying their entire religious system, their religious authority, their power and control and hold on people.

These powerful religious enemies finally had Him arrested and brought to trial on false charges of sedition and subversion. And although the governor found Him innocent, he was pressured and persuaded by these religionists to execute Him. Just prior to His arrest, He had said, "You couldn't even touch Me without My Father's permission! If I would but raise My little finger, He would send legions of angels to rescue Me!"--But instead, He chose to die--to save you and me! Nobody took His life from Him, He laid it down, He gave His life of His Own free will and accord.

But even His death did not satisfy His jealous enemies! To ensure that His followers couldn't steal His body and claim He'd come back to life, they placed a huge stone over the door of His tomb and posted a group of Roman soldiers there to guard it.--A scheme that proved futile, as these same guards became witnesses to the greatest miracle of all!--Three days after His lifeless body was laid to rest in that cold tomb, He rose from the dead, the victor over all death and hell forever!

Death itself could not stop His work nor His words! He rose to lead His tiny band of followers to ultimate victory--to overthrow the Roman empire with love and the power of the gospel! And the love of God simply rolled right on over His jealous enemies like a giant tidal wave to cover the whole earth!

Since that miraculous day nearly 2,000 years ago, this same man, Jesus Christ, has done more to change history and the course of civilisation and the condition of man than any other leader, group, government or empire before Him or since! He has saved billions from the death of a hopeless, Christless tomb and has given eternal life and the love of God to all who call upon His name. This man, Jesus Christ, is not merely a philosopher or teacher or rabbi or guru, or even a prophet.--He is the Son of God! God, the great creator, is a spirit and is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere and in everything--far beyond our limited human comprehension! So He sent Jesus, in the form of a man, to show us what He Himself is like and to bring us to Himself. And although many great teachers have spoken and taught about love and about God, He is love and He is God!--The only One who died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead! So He's in a class all by Himself, because He's the only savior! He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life!--No man cometh unto the Father but by Me!"

How can you find out and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ really is the Son of God, the way to salvation?--The answer is simple: try Him! Simply humble yourself and sincerely ask Him to reveal Himself to you! He's real and He loves you!--So much so that He died in your place and suffered for your sins so that you wouldn't have to! His promises throughout the bible are rock solid, like cement. But they are only so, when you mix the water of your faith with those promises of his word. He can't save you unless you want Him to! His love is all-powerful, but He won't force His way into your life.

Once you receive him, He will be the most precious One in your life!--Your closest Friend and Companion Who will be with you always!

Paul Peloquin