"He who does not love does not know God." John 4:8.
No one but God could have revealed that to the World, for we see nothing but its contradiction in our own limited world of experience. We need little imagination to construe into vehement laughter at such a declaration as..."God is Love." Shattered, broken lives contradict any such statement. No wonder carnal minds consider us infatuated, mere dreamers, hopeful wanna be's, talking of Love when Murder, war, famine, lust, pestilence, and all the refinement of selfish cruelty is abroad on planet earth.
But, oh, the sublimity of the Abraham-like faith that dares to place the center of it's life, confidence, action, and hope in an unseen and apparently unknown God saying, "God is Love," in spite of all appearances to the contrary; saying, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." Job 13:15. Such faith is counted for righteousness!!! And God has reminded me lately to add: "Even unto death!"
Look back over your own History, as I have ventured a backward glance as well; we see it is revealed to us by grace, and we see one central fact growing large--God is Love. No matter how often our faith in such an announcement was clouded, no matter how the pain and suffering of the moment made us speak in a wrong mood, still this statement has borne it's own evidence along with it most persistently--God is Love!!
In the future, when trial and difficulties await you, do not be fearful. Let not this faith slip from you--God is Love; whisper it not only to your heart in it's hour of darkness, but here in your patch of God's earth. Live in the belief of it; preach it by your sweetened chastened happy life; Splash it on you in the twilight of mornings dawn; sing until the World around you..."Is wrought to sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not."
The World knows not of Gods sweet victorious melody; they know not how to sing such a song, but God does! Song is a sign of an unburdened heart, then sing your songs of love unconditionally, ever rising higher and higher into a fuller concept of the greatest and grandest fact on the stage of time--God is Love!
But words and emotions pass, precious as their influence may be for a time. So when the duller moments come and the mind requires something more certain and sure to consider than the memory of mere emotions and stirring sentiments, consider this revelation--The eternal fact that God is love, not God is loving. God and love are synonymous. Love is not an attribute of God, it is God; whatever God is, love is. Love does not set the criteria for God, but God sets the criteria of love and so writes it's mission statement. If your concept of love does not agree with justice, judgement,purity, and holiness then your idea of love is wrong.
This is not a love you conceive in your mind, but some vague infinite foolishness, all tears and softness and of infinite weakness. God instills it, we don't procure it.
"Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Jude 21.
"Splash!" ...Drip...drip....drip..."Go ahead God fill the cup, I will need it tomorrow too." "Thank You Lord, for your Love and for giving it to me."
No one but God could have revealed that to the World, for we see nothing but its contradiction in our own limited world of experience. We need little imagination to construe into vehement laughter at such a declaration as..."God is Love." Shattered, broken lives contradict any such statement. No wonder carnal minds consider us infatuated, mere dreamers, hopeful wanna be's, talking of Love when Murder, war, famine, lust, pestilence, and all the refinement of selfish cruelty is abroad on planet earth.
But, oh, the sublimity of the Abraham-like faith that dares to place the center of it's life, confidence, action, and hope in an unseen and apparently unknown God saying, "God is Love," in spite of all appearances to the contrary; saying, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." Job 13:15. Such faith is counted for righteousness!!! And God has reminded me lately to add: "Even unto death!"
Look back over your own History, as I have ventured a backward glance as well; we see it is revealed to us by grace, and we see one central fact growing large--God is Love. No matter how often our faith in such an announcement was clouded, no matter how the pain and suffering of the moment made us speak in a wrong mood, still this statement has borne it's own evidence along with it most persistently--God is Love!!
In the future, when trial and difficulties await you, do not be fearful. Let not this faith slip from you--God is Love; whisper it not only to your heart in it's hour of darkness, but here in your patch of God's earth. Live in the belief of it; preach it by your sweetened chastened happy life; Splash it on you in the twilight of mornings dawn; sing until the World around you..."Is wrought to sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not."
The World knows not of Gods sweet victorious melody; they know not how to sing such a song, but God does! Song is a sign of an unburdened heart, then sing your songs of love unconditionally, ever rising higher and higher into a fuller concept of the greatest and grandest fact on the stage of time--God is Love!
But words and emotions pass, precious as their influence may be for a time. So when the duller moments come and the mind requires something more certain and sure to consider than the memory of mere emotions and stirring sentiments, consider this revelation--The eternal fact that God is love, not God is loving. God and love are synonymous. Love is not an attribute of God, it is God; whatever God is, love is. Love does not set the criteria for God, but God sets the criteria of love and so writes it's mission statement. If your concept of love does not agree with justice, judgement,purity, and holiness then your idea of love is wrong.
This is not a love you conceive in your mind, but some vague infinite foolishness, all tears and softness and of infinite weakness. God instills it, we don't procure it.
"Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Jude 21.
"Splash!" ...Drip...drip....drip..."Go ahead God fill the cup, I will need it tomorrow too." "Thank You Lord, for your Love and for giving it to me."