05-30-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
May 30, 2023
I recently read I John 4:8 in a way I had never read it before. I John 4 is a chapter in the Bible I know well, and our Identity Statement at Cypress Creek Christian Church comes from I John 4 (We love because God first loved us). Vs. 8 says, "The person who doesn’t love does not know God, because God is love." Until yesterday, I’ve always read those words as an indictment of those who do not know God and thus do not love others. The voice in my head, as I think of the passage, is rather critical and even judgmental of such folks. But yesterday, as I was reading those words, I felt both heartbreak and compassion. If someone doesn’t know God is love, or, to put it another way, if someone doesn’t know that the most powerful force in the universe is love, then why should we expect people to reach for love in their daily lives? I’m not suggesting someone has to believe exactly like I do or perceive God the way I do, but if someone has not experienced the breath-taking beauty of love, then why would we expect that person to reach for love when it comes to daily interactions? This is where evangelism comes into play, but not in the way some people think of it. If God is love, and we introduce someone to love, then hasn’t that person met God? Maybe I should stop judging others who do not love and start demonstrating love in such a way that they might be so overwhelmed that they will love themselves and love others… and if I understand the passage correctly, they will thus know God.

​As I continue to grow in my understanding of love, O God, may I continue to find new depth in the love I have for myself, for you, and for others. Maybe, somewhere along the line, my love for others will introduce them to you. That is my hope, though I always recognize that such an introduction comes only from your love poured into me. Amen.