Worthy part 5
The important thing to remember is that people are the important thing. And people, no matter how hard they try, make mistakes. So if we're going to start doling out things like forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love according to how somebody acts... then realistically we won't be giving much of anything to anybody. Jesus, in a sense, said it like this, "...He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" (John 8:7). And guess who threw the first stone. Nobody. Romans 3:23 says it like this, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." And I know that you know that I define sin as unbelief. Its not what you do, but what you believe that is really important. Because what you do flows from what you believe. We've all done things that we probably shouldn't have in order to get that thing that our heart desires. And the true desire of our heart... is love. We've all looked for love in all the wrong places. We've all tried to jump through hoops in order to get--to EARN--what we thought we didn't have. But love can't be earned. Because love is unconditional. God doesn't love us because of what we do. God loves us because of who we are. And who HE is. I still remember this very clearly, one day my son, Logan, asked me, "Daddy, why do you love me so much?" And without even thinking about it I answered him, "Because you're mine." Guys, I'm pretty sure that's how our heavenly Father feels about us. He loves us for the pure and simple reason that we are His. He created us in order to love us. We are how God expresses Himself. He loves us--so big and so much--to the point where we are filled to overflowing. And then that love--HIS love... His very being--comes out of us. Naturally. So that we CAN love each other with that same love, and in that way we can EXPERIENCE His love. Love is not about getting. Because love IS giving. So when we give it away, that's when we feel it the most. We receive it and release it. We receive it BY releasing it. By knowing and believing that we HAVE it, and giving it away. Sharing it. WIth whoever we come into contact with. Simply because they are human beings, and they are worthy of love. I've said this many many times: I don't think we should ever look down on anybody... except to help them up when they've stumbled or fallen. And we have the strength to do that because Jesus is the One who KEEPS us from falling. He is the voice that speaks the Word (LOVE) from behind us--not something in our future, but something in our past. Not something we need but something we already have--telling us that love is the way that we ought to walk in. It doesn't matter if we--or they--make mistakes. Mistakes don't disqualify us. Nothing can. All have sinned, right? We read that. But Jesus is the Lamb of God that took away the sin of the world. Those who are born of God CANNOT sin because His incorruptible seed remains in them. Can you still mess up? You can and you will. Because learning and growing takes time. And you learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes. But does messing up mean you're not worthy of love? Absolutely not. In fact... when you mess up, that's when you need love the most. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound!