"Looking At God"

  Let me say something simple yet very profound. It's not profound because I said it. It's profound because God does it! If there is anything we need to learn is this: God loves all humanity! Too many times we only love what humanity should be!! Listen to that carefully. We don't like to be with the sinners and so we pick and choose the part of humanity we want to be around. Yet when we read of our Savior, where was He found? Around the company of sinners and outcasts. Maybe we need to learn something here.

  Wasn't it Jesus who spoke to His church in Rev. 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." This was said to His church that was poor, naked, blind, pitiful and wretched! They mattered to the Lord when they didn't matter to us.

  We have limits how far we go with others. As long as they act as we would act and never do us wrong, we are lovingly embracing them and wanting to share in their life. But when they do things we deem as terrible or say things we think are not proper, we rid ourselves of them. I realize the Lord spoke to us through His word that there are those we are not to be part of, dealing specifically with the church, but that is because they need a message sent they are on the wrong side of fellowship with the Lord and need to return. That's love acting. But there are those we just don't like, for whatever reason, and we cast them aside as if they don't matter. Even more when people wander off into sin, terrible sins in our eyes, we give them little to no chance when they want to return. We hold things over their head, remind them of who they are and never trust they could be sincere in heart and faith. Didn't we learn that from the prodigal? The older brother had no joy or commitment to his prodigal brother! He didn't miss his brother. He didn't feel any loss for his brother. He felt himself smug and righteous holding to the side of his father and in strolls this horrible son who squandered everything their father had given him and he was callous and loveless! Yet the father was watching every day, hoping of his sons return. What his son had squandered didn't matter. Only his soul mattered. When are we going to learn how much God wants us and others saved!

  Take some time today. Do you find yourself questioning God's love for you? Do you find yourself refusing another, especially a brother or sister, who you think has done unspeakable things? That means we must ask ourselves: Aren't you glad God's not like you? Pray for open eyes and a softened heart.