Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent. This week’s theme is LOVE. Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent. Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or hang wreaths. All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with the peace and joy of His second Coming.
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This is how God showed His love among us:
He sent His one and only Son into the world
that we might live through Him.
1 John 4:9
He called fishermen to be His disciples (Matthew 4:18). He was anointed by a sinful woman (Luke 7:36-50). He defied social customs and revealed Himself to an outcast Samaritan woman (John 4:1-26).
Whom does Jesus love? Everyone. Whom does Jesus accept? Everyone. Jesus said, “For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world,“ John 12:47b. When Jesus came to Earth He deemed the greatest commandments to be to love of his Father and to love our neighbors (Mark 12:29-31).
Jesus showed us that we could love all people, and love people that sin, but hate sin. He loved the woman at the well. He loved the cripple by the pool. He loved the blind man who sat near the gate. He loved. He did not look at them and dissect every sin they commited, every thought they had. No! Jesus, knowingly, looked at people and just loved them.
The love we have been called to give is love with action. We can choose to love or we can choose not to love. We can even call that which we think is love love when it truly is not.
The Lord has been showing me that I’ve added something to my love. My love is not unconditional like His. No, my love is rather conditional, and this is no way to love at all. I’ve begun, without noticing, to decide who is “worthy” and “safe” enough for my love. This is not the kind of love that spurred Jesus forward to the Cross that awaited Him. This is not a godly love.
I am no one’s judge, but somewhere along the way I decided I was. The Lord has shown me the error of my “loving.” How many people have I missed out on truly loving because of the conditions I have placed. My cousin very recently passed away…he was murdered. I know that he was one of these whom I have missed out on loving; and now I don’t have the opportunity to make amends.
The problem with adding conditions to our love—besides the fact that it’s not Godly love—is that my conditions may be different from your conditions; and although I may think I’m loving you, you may not feel the same. The beauty of God’s unconditional love is that there is no confusion. Conditional love is isolating. Unconditional love is inclusive. Conditional love judges. Unconditional love accepts.
Conditional love is self-serving. Unconditional love comes down from heaven to a world of people who don’t accept You, who have sinned against You, and who nailed You to a cross, so that You could give them eternal life.
Jesus was sent to save people, not judge them. We are sent to do the same. Dare we love like Jesus???
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Lord, continue to show me how to love like You and remind me that I am the judge of no one. Praying in Your name. Amen.
