the basic message #E307
10/18/04
Does God love all people? Before you answer too quickly, please consider the question fully as well as considering what the Bible says about the subject. When I consider all the facts, I must conclude that yes, God does love all people. That certainly doesn't mean that he's always happy with the way we think and the way we live, but no matter what, he loves us. The best way to really understand and appreciate this dynamic is to be a parent. As a parent, there have been things my children have done that caused me distress. Never, in the process of that happening, did I ever stop loving them. There were times I didn't like them very much, but the love was always there.
Matthew 7:9-11
Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, the, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
God, as our loving Father, looks down on his children in their daily existence with kindness and compassion. I think God also goes through times in which he loves us, but often doesn't like us, or more accurately, doesn't like the things we do. Who can blame him? Know what I really appreciate about God? His standards never change. Have you even considered that? Christian opinions about morality and holiness change (usually for the worse) as the years click by, but God simply remains firm on everything he has said and done. Some folks might find that frightening, but in a world that's in a constant state of flux, I find it comforting. That said, I'll get back to the subject at hand- God loves everyone.
Romans 11:32
For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Please note the phrase "all men" in the passage above. This is a wake-up call for all "good Christians" that constantly rail against the "immorality in America". The "good Christians" are bound over to disobedience just like the people they look down on so often. Example: homosexuals. I'm totally and absolutely fed-up with the constant attacks and negative comments from Christian "leaders" regarding homosexuality. Will someone simply tell me definitively what the "homosexual agenda" even is? Is there a "heterosexual agenda" or a "NRA agenda" or perhaps a "material worship" agenda out there as well? Folks, we all have some sort of agenda, whether good or bad, so let's get off of this over-used, tired expression that has little or no basis.
Since we're in an election year, immigration policies are a hot topic. Most Americans are quick to say, "shut down all of the borders and stop all of the illegal aliens from coming into the United States. They're taking our jobs and costing us money." I agree completely. That said, who are we, the sons and daughters of immigrants, to say "no more"? Does anyone even consider where this country might be without immigrants? It's a documented fact that Chinese immigrants were fundamental in building our nation's railroads- could we have done it without them? If our current "keep 'em out" beliefs were in place during Albert Einstein's life, could he have become an American citizen and gone on to provide major contributions for the United States? The fact is, if we never allowed immigrants into America, most of us wouldn't be here today, and even if we limited the restriction to banning immigrants during the past 50 years, our quality of life wouldn't be nearly as good if we didn't allow immigration.
So, I pose the question once more: "Does God love all people?" Hopefully your answer is "yes". If it isn't, you might as well go surf the web and look for someone more in line with your skewed perspective. So just what is my point? It's really quite simple- once we can agree that God loves all people, we're immediately faced with a dilemma. Which is? Which is that we expect God, the creator of the universe to love all people, yet we humans, tiny specs in this entire universe, feel like we're somehow exempt from the call to love everyone. This is a classic case of the "tail wagging the dog". Think about it- we humans believe we have the right to pick and choose who we love, but we dictate to God that he should love everyone. Isn't that backwards? I'm concerned that our American "John Wayne" mentality encourages us to hate, rather than to love. "Don't get mad...get even" is an expression that could have only been coined in the United States. I once heard that the United States Marine Corps had a slogan about Osama Bin Laden that went something like this: "It's up to God whether to forgive Bin Laden. It's our job to arrange that meeting". We laugh about such things, but doesn't our laughter really reveal the darkness of our hearts?
When the day is done, our feelings should be thus: "God loves everyone, and I pray that he will give me the grace and compassion to do the same". How do you feel?