Sign of God’s Love – Episode 172
Do Christians act any different than non-believers? If not, how can we see the sign of God’s love in them? We can’t. In this episode, we will explore the idea that God’s love is all around us, and within us if we have eyes to see and ears to hear!
For immediate download: A Few Minutes with God plus study guide
Truth Seekers Mystery Series – Entire Set and Study Guides
One More Child: Book
Being a Christian means giving up something, right? I mean all this sacrifice and for what? A possibility of eternity with God. Who is God and why should I care?
That is what it looks like from the outside, and when we act like just like everyone else in dress, word and deed we can see that professing to be a Christian alone is not enough.
So many times, people look at us as an example and yet the example we show falls short, way short. Our pastor once told us that he was highly offended by off-putting jokes and he would walk away, and sometimes these were told by people he held in high esteem. And we wonder why the churches stand empty. What do you expect when you go into a church? What do we expect from the Almighty God creator of the heavens and the earth?
When we look only for signs and wonders but miss the obvious love of God’s that right in front of us! What is this sign, you may be surprised.
The very fact that you exist is a sign of God’s love. The people God has brought into your life the lifestyle you live … I’m not talking about extravagance here, I’m talking about a warm bed, and food, clean water, and a place to call home. I’m talking about the way that things no matter how horrible at times of our lives seem to work out in the end.
Death and taxes are the two things that we are told we can do nothing about – but the most important of our lives is the thing we neglect the most. We are all searching for love because the Almighty when He created us put this into our hearts. And, where do we seek this love? Sometimes in the wrong places. And the search for love and the sale of love in the sense of movies and books is big money because we are seeking a love that can never quench the fire in our hearts. Something is missing.
The Lord our God has given us the greatest gift and that is deep within us, it is to know, love, and serve God. This is something that every Christian school kid was taught at an early age – and Catholics especially memorized in the Catechism. We were even quizzed on this. How many memorize Bible verses and can quote chapter and verse? But, do you really have and understand that this, this gift is a sign of God’s love?
If we know God, if we trust that His love is never-ending and if we serve the one true God that made heaven and earth, that gave us His only Son in selfless love to take on our sins and die for us so that we might have eternal life and, as if that is not enough… gave us His Holy Spirit so that we could actually feel the love of God – well, then. If we do this, we will live forever in the next world.
We know things about God’s love intellectually. We know there is hope and power in the love of God by the very fact that He gave us His only begotten Son to take our sins and die for us. Not for our neighbor or that sinful person we see on television – no, for us. When we can personalize this love of God we have a new insight into His love for us but still we struggle. And, we look for those signs.
Lord, I need this or that. Lord, can you please? Lord, are you listening?
Is it bad to ask for a sign? Well, we know that the Old Testament is filled with signs of God’s love and His just judgment. And, the same in the New Testament. God showed us in John 10: 31-42 that it was important that we could see in Him the Father’s love because of the works He performed. Let me read the passage: (on the recording)
They had Jesus in the flesh, He was performing the signs of the Father – and they said, sure, yes we see those signs and that is not why we are stoning you… it is because you say you are God. What a contradiction.
The truth is that even if the Almighty comes down from heaven and shows the world signs and wonders for most they will not see it. And…what about us?
How many things have you seen in your life that would be considered miraculous? Have you seen someone healed or perhaps an answered prayer that you never thought would be answered? We’ve heard about atheistic doctors who have witnessed someone dead who has come back to life and while they did not deny it was a miracle, they did deny it was by God.
The only thing that is blocking the love of God and the sign of God’s love in our lives is us. God is waiting with His arms open and we are too busy. So even if there are miraculous happenings all around us we will still not see or appreciate it and call it what it is – God’s love for us!
The truth is we equate the love of God with getting what we want and our prayer is please God I need this or that. But to see the hand of God and His love clearly, the only way is during a time of persecution, and only then can we see it clearly. When we look into the face of evil and we sadly do not have to look far, it is all around us, we will clearly understand that evil is devoid of love.
A pastor said the opposite of evil is not God – God is so much greater than evil. But the opposite of evil is love. Evil is ugly, evil is lies, evil wants to condemn and evil wants to kill. God is beauty (look at the world around us to see the beauty of God), God is truth, and God wants to redeem us and God wants us to live forever.
When we look at salvation history – which is the story of the Bible – the beginning of creation to the end in Revelations, this book shows us that during certain times where there was extreme persecution there was an abundance of signs showing the Almighty hand of the Father.
What was happening during those times? Persecution. Terrible persecution with temples destroyed and those of faith being persecuted and put to death. Sound familiar? Oppression is happening all over the world and we do not see it… and if we do we think we can’t do anything about it.
Well friends, stay tuned. I believe God’s hand will be shown and evil will not triumph of this I am sure. It is like reading the best story ever written and knowing the ending. Spoiler alert! God wins!
Let’s pray and pray this along with me – it is in the first person, and I want you to think about these words and make them your own!
Almighty God and Father, Creator of heaven and earth, I pray that you give me an infilling of the Holy Spirit. An abundance of your love and grace and joy. I ask you my Father that you fill me to overflowing… I ask that you give me the grace to say yes when all I want to say is no, do not abandon me in my time of need. I ask that you help me to see your love and to give this love to others who are hurting and in need. I ask God that you hear my prayers, and answer these prayers if it is in accordance with your Holy will…. And I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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