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From: David Foss
Galesville, Wis.
Would any friend of ours willingly do any of the following: be beaten until unrecognizable Isaiah 50:6; 52:14; remain silent when reprimanded or slandered I Peter 2:23; be spit upon and slapped Mark 15:19; be falsely accused of wrongdoing Matthew 5:48; be verbally abused (profaned) with unkind, hateful words Matthew 27:30-31; be falsely accused of being a disreputable person Isaiah 59:13; endure extreme pain and suffering for some wrong that we had done Mark 10:34; 14:65; die for our wrongness I John 2:1-2; and forgive us of all our wrongdoing I John 1:9?
We do have a friend who has willingly experienced many horrible episodes for us. He went through all this horrific suffering because He loves us. What more could He have done to prove His love for us?
Can any friend of ours forgive our sins, promise us eternal life, miraculously heal us, comfort us like no one else, meet all of our needs, etc.?
How forgiving would we be of someone who constantly stated his or her hatred of us? How patient and loving would we be with someone who wasn’t willing to make any effort in ridding his or her life of wrongful and harmful behavior? How forgiving would we be toward someone who spreads all kinds of lies about us, even though we have done nothing wrong?
Why is there so much hatred of God? After all, God is perfection. He alone is without sin. He has given us everything that we see, hear, taste, feel and smell. He has promised us eternal life, yet so many of us still hate the God of all creation. Eternally tragic.
When we have hatred in our hearts toward God and others does this hatred bring about anything positive? Of course not. There is nothing positive about hatred, except hatred of sin, and our hatred of God isn’t going to gain us anything that is positive. Hatred of God will rob us of earthly joy and eternal joy in heaven. Again, eternally tragic.
God loves us in spite of all our hatred and offenses against Him. He doesn’t want any to perish (go to hell). II Peter 3:9 He suffered and died most horribly on a cross because He loves us far more than anyone else. There is no greater love than the love of God.
Take a good long look at all of God’s creation. Listen to all of God’s creation. Taste all of God’s creation. Feel all of God’s creation. Smell all of God’s creation. Think about all that God has done for us, all that He has given to us, all that God has prepared for us in heaven. No, there is no greater love than that which comes from our Creator. What a friend we have in Jesus!
Ponder Philippians 2:8 John 1:29 Titus 1:2 2 Peter 3:9
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