Fussin' and feudin' - an example

Ripples in a pond . . .
A good example can spread and cause all kinds of good things to happen, no?
Nehemiah thought so.
We've been talking about the hesitation that we feel when we are required to confront someone in sin. Part of that hesitation is the fear that that someone will point his finger right back at us.
Nodding your head with me?
Many believers are stopped in their tracks by this. We are fearful that as we speak to the sinner, that person will expose areas in our lives where sin has taken up residence.
So we fall back on the old "judge not, lest you be judged," mentality.
We walk away.
We let things go.
How can we resolve this?

Nehemiah knew that he must set an example of personal godliness. Leaders (and followers, too, for that matter) need to be above reproach. They need to be examples to the flock.
(Here is Peter's take on that issue.)

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. (I Peter 5:2-3)

Nehemiah says in verse eight that he had spent his own money to redeem fellow Jews from slavery. And he had loaned money (verse ten) to them without charging interest. At some point in this story, Nehemiah had been appointed governor of the region, and in the following verses, he lists his own example over a period of twelve years. I don't think he did this to "toot his own horn" or to boast or be prideful. I think he wanted to be an example for others. And I totally think that he can be an example for us today - even if we don't currently find ourselves in leadership roles!

Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. 15 But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. 16 Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.17 Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. 18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.19 Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people. (Nehemiah 5:14-19)

There's a lot here . . . as the news pundits say, let's unpack it.
First, Nehemiah didn't take advantage of his position. His predecessors had demanded a food allowance by taxing the people and then sending minions out to collect (by force, if need be). As governor, Nehemiah had the right to require that. After all, he had quite a few mouths to feed. Did you notice that? He had one hundred and fifty Jewish officials at his table daily, and that was in addition to those who came in from the surrounding nations. I'm guessing that would be like needing to entertain emissaries and diplomats! To feed this whole crew required an ox, six sheep, some poultry, and probably a good bit of wine and other incidentals. But Nehemiah seems to have paid for these needs out of his own pocket.
To apply this to our lives today, as believers we need to avoid the trap of thinking that we have certain rights and things that we "deserve." We need to follow Jesus' example, as He laid aside His power and His rights and became a servant - obedient even unto death.

Next, Nehemiah gives us two personal reasons why he didn't follow in the footsteps of his predecessors. Why did he lay aside his rights? In verse fifteen he says that he feared God; he knew that he was a servant and must answer to God one day. To Nehemiah, and for us today, fearing God means that we don't just do things the way other people do. We follow God's guidance for our lives. In verse eighteen, Nehemiah says he didn't take advantage of his rights because he was concerned for his people. As heirs with Jesus today, we must care about hurting people. To add anything to the burden of those who are already suffering would be unloving.

Nehemiah was also an awesome example for us of generosity. It cost him a great deal, I bet, to feed all those people out of his own pocket, but he was willing to do it so that he didn't add to the burden of the already-burdened down people.

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (I John 3:17-18)

Nehemiah also said that he applied himself diligently to the work on the wall. He says that neither he nor his servants bought any land. I think this points to the fact that he didn't want to get entangled in everyday affairs; there would have been need for maintaining the land, for farming, for vineyard-tending, for many other activities and responsibilities. I believe this is an example for us - Nehemiah stayed focused on the work of God, as should we.

I believe, too, that Nehemiah was not anxious for the approval of men. I think he was working for God's approval. Check out the last verse of chapter five . . . even if very few of the Jews ever thanked him; even if he didn't receive honor or applause; Nehemiah was much more eager to receive God's approval. As believers, that is one strategy that we can wholeheartedly emulate!

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, (Colossians 3:23)

Next time we study, we will see that when confronted with their sin and the example of Nehemiah, the loan sharks agreed to give back the money and do all that Nehemiah asked. We'll see if he gives them a high-five or a pat on the back . . . or something else.

Fussin' and feudin', part IV

Are you like me?
I bet you are.
I REALLY dislike confrontation.
You, too?
Come on, now, be honest!
Not many of us are comfortable with conflict and confrontation.
It's not fun. It can get downright messy.
The fallout can be pretty horrific.
It's really easy to get angry about something (justified, I mean), to think and pray over it, and then to cool off and not do anything about it.
Am I singing a familiar song, here? (Grin)

I'm with you here, and I understand. It is difficult and uncomfortable to confront someone (or several someones) who is (are) causing a problem. It gets even more difficult when the someones are actually part of the community of faith. And it adds a whole 'nother dimension when the someones are rich and powerful, as these Jews were. Nehemiah was treading in a minefield, wasn't he? What if they got mad? What if they got defensive? They could split away from the other Jews. They could withdraw their support for the building project. What if they got so angry that they viewed Nehemiah as an enemy; they could even join the opposition outside the walls, and cause no end of trouble!

Oy vey.
Other alternatives?
Well, I guess Nehemiah could have written them an email in his best managerial style. Or he could have formed a committee to investigate, and hope that the news would spur them to change their ways.
Nope.
First, he privately confronted those who had been accused of mistreating the poor. Let's look at the rest of verse 7:

I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large meeting to deal with them (v 7)

The Bible doesn't tell us if this was a single meeting, or if perhaps it was a series of meetings. It doesn't tell us if he went alone, either. But Nehemiah seems to have followed the biblical pattern for confrontation. Remember the passage in Matthew?

 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; (Matthew 18:15-17a)

It appears that Nehemiah did choose to have a private conversation before he escalated it to a public confrontation. The fact that he needed a public confrontation makes me think that he didn't get a response from the private talks!

So, Nehemiah called a "great assembly" and spelled out the problem. Here is the passage:

So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8 and said: “As far as possible, we have bought back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.
9 So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies? 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest! 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.” (Nehemiah 5:7b-11)

Wow, pretty powerful stuff here, right? He rebukes the leaders and they can't find a word to answer. They are "guilty as charged." He tells them that not only are they disobeying God in this greedy behavior, but they will also allow their enemies to mock them - they mistreat their own people. Notice he is using his people skills as he tells them "let us stop" charging interest.....personally, I don't think this man of God charged interest. I think he is doing the same thing he did in previous chapters -- including himself with the people, in order to promote unity. "We are all in this together." He is appealing to the wealthy Jews to join him in loaning without interest charges. And he urges them to give back to the poor all the things they had confiscated.
It's easy to be scared of confronting others. Especially when they are the rich and powerful. Even Christian leaders are loathe sometimes to rebuke sinners for their sin, whether it's in private or in public.
But we need to follow Nehemiah's example of confronting sin. If we pray before we do anything, the Spirit will guide us. We can do as Nehemiah did: have proper, righteous anger, but exercise self control. We will have the courage then, with the Spirit's help, to confront those who are wrong.

Fussin' and feudin', part III

We're continuing today to look at ways to resolve conflicts biblically. Let's look again at our old friend, Nehemiah.

I really like Nehemiah here, in the way that he interacted with the people. He truly is an example for all of us, whether we are in leadership positions, or not. You know, he could have thrown up his hands and said, "What do you expect from me? I've come away from the palace and invested my life with you people, and you want me to drop everything and handle these squabbles?" Or, "Wow, guys, I'm super busy right now, can you come back later?"
Not Nehemiah.
Nope.
He realized that these were significant problems. He recognized that some people were doing wrong. He saw that people were suffering.
So, he stopped his work on the wall to listen and to help.

It's interesting that his first reaction is that he got angry. Does that surprise us? Let's read:

When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. (v 6)

Some believers today feel like anger is all wrong -- never allow it. They deny their own anger, swallow it down, even get self-righteous about it. Everybody around them can see the reality of the anger, and it many cases, it's justified!
Other believers have bought into the psychology and "feelings-based" thought of today, and they say that there is no right or wrong in anger - it just happens. They think people should just go ahead, "let loose" and express it, and own up to it.
I think I'd rather consult the Bible on this, wouldn't you?
The Bible is clear in its teachings -- most anger is sinful, but some anger is righteous.

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,  (Ephesians 4:26)

Don’t sin by letting anger control you.    Think about it overnight and remain silent.  (Psalm 4:4)

In Mark 3, we see that Jesus was angry at the hardness of heart of the Pharisees, but that He did not sin.

 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. (Mark 3:4-5)

And we are all familiar with His anger at the use of the Temple for buying and selling as if in a market.....
How do we know the difference between the anger that is "good" and the anger that's "bad"? If our anger is because of the sinful treatment of others, we can move toward constructive means of resolving the problem -- that may be righteous anger. If our anger is about a wrong committed against ourselves, it could very well be righteous, but it's possible that selfishness or pride are mixed in with it! We need to be very careful to examine our own motives before the Lord.
It's absolutely right to get angry about sinful things like child abuse, pornography, abortion, and more. We can take that anger and use it as we get involved in constructive ways to fight those problems, and try to eradicate them. It would, however, be sinful to respond with violence against those who participate in those sins. We must make certain that our anger is directed in righteous ways.
Like Nehemiah.
He stopped himself.

 I pondered them in my mind (v 7a)

Nehemiah didn't go into a rage.
He didn't start shouting immediately.
He didn't jump too quickly.
He didn't, as my grandma would say, "go off like a rocket."
He stopped. He took time to cool off. He thought about the issues, and as we have seen that Nehemiah is a man of prayer, I think we can safely assume that he prayed about the situation. Only then did he take action.
This is the biblical way:

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,But he who is slow to anger and patient calms disputes. (Proverbs 15:18, AMP)

He who is slow to anger is better and more honorable than the mighty [soldier],And he who rules and controls his own spirit, than he who captures a city. (Proverbs 16:32, AMP)

We are exhorted by James to follow this same strategy:

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; (James 1:19, NASB)

Whether we are in leadership roles or not, we would do well as believers to follow Nehemiah's example. He exercised self control.
He was righteously angry, but he paused, and prayed.
We'll talk next time about how he confronted the situation.

Fussin' and feudin', continued

Did ya have a chance to read chapter five?
Let's dive in!
We need a thorough understanding of the problem, first:

Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 2 Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”4 Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.” (v 1-5)

Wow! There's a lot going on, here!
It looks like the poorer Jews were complaining against the wealthier ones: these people were either ignoring their needs (which were desperate) or they were actually making the situation worse. It appears that some were actually exploiting the poorer Jews.
In addition to participating in the building at Jerusalem, people needed to care for their families, right? That meant constructing and maintaining a home, and planting and cultivating to provide for their food. Things were being made worse by a famine; some of those who owned property were finding it necessary to mortgage their vineyards, fields, and houses -- just to get food for their families. Others said they were having to borrow in order to pay their taxes. And some had even been forced to sell their children into slavery in order to pay their bills.

Now, let's look at what the Law said about situations like this (bills, loans, and interest).

 “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, 27 because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate."(Exodus 22:25-27)

We can see that they were forbidden to loan money and charge interest to a fellow Jew who was in need. But these peeps were not only charging interest, they were taking Jewish children as slaves for collateral on the loans! They were operating as ruthless, heartless businessmen (we'd call 'em loan sharks!) and they were only interested in piling up wealth for themselves. They didn't care about how it hurt their poorer brethren and their families.  Nehemiah saw the problem and recognized that it was serious -- serious enough to stop the work and get the attention of all the people!
The way that he dealt with things will give us some principles for a godly approach to conflict resolution.

First of all, the people with complaints or problems must bring them to the proper authorities. Now, we have no clue from the Word whether or not the people who were being wronged had talked first to those who were making them suffer. (That's always the first step!)

 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother." (Matthew 18:15)

Jesus tells us when we think someone has wronged us, we should start with that person. Go to that brother or sister and talk directly to them; try to get things resolved. At this point, whether they had used that "Step One" or not, they were bringing their complaint to Nehemiah. One thing to remember in a congregation -- a leader can't deal with a problem if he/she doesn't know about it!

All of us have seen situations where people air their complaints to everybody EXCEPT the people who can really do something to help, right? They circulate through their group of friends, and then perhaps move out to a larger circle of folks, airing their issues. The leaders may not even know there is a problem yet, but these peeps are stirring up gossip, dissension, and disunity! They may use excuses like, "I wanted to let you know about this," "I need to talk to someone about it," or even "I know the pastor (leader, etc) is busy, so I thought we could talk," but in reality, they are not addressing the problem in a biblical manner.

What happens? People are spending time talking about issues instead of working for the Lord. Some are getting hurt feelings and there's a really good possibility that the seeds of disunity are finding some fertile ground. No one wants to see resentment or bitterness, but that is certainly what can happen . . .

To resolve problems biblically, first go to the person responsible. Talk it over. If someone in our church group or congregation comes to us with a complaint, the best thing to do is to ask them if they have talked to one of the leaders about this issue. If not, we should suggest that they do! Many times a misunderstanding can be resolved at this level without causing larger problems in the church or faith community.

Fussing and feudin'

It's distressing, but this is the way many people see the church congregations of today. (Grin) And to tell you the truth, a lot of times they are correct!
I'm here to tell you, it's not fun.
Personalities.
Politics.
Yep, in church.
I'm used to that in the corporate setting. Kinda "goes with the territory," as my grandma used to say.
But in church?
Come on, folks!
Did you know that after all he has been through so far, Nehemiah had to deal with this, too?
Yep.
Sometimes I think that it's one of the devil's strategies . . . if a church is humming along and doing well in building the kingdom, and glorifying God, he puts a person in it to change things!

I hope that you will take time today to read the fifth chapter of Nehemiah, and that you will keep a marker there all week, so that you can refer back to that chapter as we study.

We are going to read about some people who complain; we'll see the root of their dispute; we will see Nehemiah's reaction; then we will see his plan to take care of things. We will even discuss the sterling example that he set before the people.
Interested?
Great!
Here is a link if you want to quickly read . . .

It may be that you are like me, you have been in a church that went through a split. I guess in this world, splits are inevitable. Why? If we are sold out and committed to the truth of God's Word, it can happen.
If we are paying attention (and we should be) to godly standards . . . if we are committed to (and we should be) sound doctrine, there will be some conflict now and again. Why?
Well, since the beginning of the New Testament church, and even some examples in the Old Testament, too, there have been people who bring in false teachings.

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. (II Peter 2:1a)

There are also some who will behave badly.

They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. (II Peter 2:13)

The world we live in is a fallen world. If our church leaders and the congregation are obedient to God, we must confront errors and sin. It's not fun. (Hey, I hate conflict as much as the next person!) But it has to be done:

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. (Titus 1:9-11)

Let's face the honest, unvarnished truth, though -- even if we follow the scriptures and act in love; even if we are calm and not strident; there will still be some who react negatively. They may even leave. They may take others with them.
Now the church is split.
Is it still the right course of action?
You betcha!
No matter what the cause of the errors or disunity, we need to work at resolving conflicts in a biblical manner. Paul told the Ephesians to preserve the unity of the Spirit, and he told the Roman Christians to pursue peace and the building up of one another. We can't be passive. We can't just "let it ride." We must pursue peace in way that does not compromise the truth.

Last week, we saw that Nehemiah faced opposition from OUTSIDE the community. This week, we will study as he faces conflict from INSIDE.

He was faced with a problem that threatened to hold up the work! I hope you will read chapter five and join me tomorrow!

Describing the indescribable love of God

How can we describe the love of God? And what's more, how can we show evidence of His love in our lives? We will conclude our mini-study today . . .
Another attribute of God's love is that He was unselfish. What a hard lesson for humans! It's difficult for us to be selfless.

"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)

He wanted only the best for us, even while we were sinners.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (II Corinthians 8:9)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

He sacrificed everything for us.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (I John 3:16-18)

Are we emulating Jesus Christ with unselfish behavior? Do we want the best for others? Do we seek the best for them? Are we willing to sacrifice to take care of the needs of others?

God's Word also teaches us that a Christ-like love is long-suffering . . .

 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.  (I Peter 2:23)

Paul echoed this thought: "Love suffers long and is kind." When Jesus suffered, He didn't threaten to get even. He didn't plan on having the people "get what they deserved." He left His case in the hands of God, Who always judges fairly.
When people are good to us, we want to be good to them. Yep. It's natural.
When people are bad to us, do we still want to be good to them? Do we want to return good for evil? It's a supernatural response that we can only accomplish with the Spirit's help.

Lastly, God's love is unending.
Think about that for a minute.
Let it sink in.
Un. Ending.
Nothing I can do will cause Him to give up on me.
Ever.
His love is eternal.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Though the mountains be shaken    and the hills be removed,yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken    nor my covenant of peace be removed,”    says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10)

We humans may have a hard time living up to "love never fails," but God doesn't have a hard time with that, at all. In fact, He's the only example we need.  God never stops loving us! Peter lied about being with Jesus, but Christ loved him. Thomas doubted the whole resurrection experience, but Christ loved him. The woman at the well refused to draw up water and give Him a drink, but Christ still loved her, too. And we can go on and on with examples.

Can we be examples? Can we be the evidence in this world that there's a God of love? No matter what we have done, He loves us. Do we love Him with all of our being?

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. (Jeremiah 31:3b)

A turning point - God's love

Recently, I posted a well-known Christian hymn, "O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus," as a meditation for us. The story of that hymn, like so many old, familiar songs, is an inspiring one.

The author of the hymn, Samuel Trevor Francis, was an influential London merchant who was a very active layperson. He led a remarkable life of service for the Lord, in that during his own lifetime he heard his songs and melodies sung by congregations in many lands of the earth.

As a teenager contemplating suicide while standing on a bridge spanning the Thames, Francis had a turning point moment -- it seemed to him as if someone asked him, "You do believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?" At once he proclaimed "I do believe!" and it changed his life. He experienced a renewal of faith and of meaning in his life, and he became known as a lay preacher and helper in revivals.

Reading this about the hymn-writer made me think of Paul's words to the Ephesians:

...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19)

Personally, I have a hard time grasping the dimensions of God's great love for us sinners. But the scriptures say we are to grow in our awareness of His love. I know with head knowledge that love is the very essence of God -- not just for the lovely but also for the vilest of sinners. When I think of my sins, I am amazed at His love.  If the New Testament teaches me anything, it teaches about God's love in searching for the lost; it teaches me that all we must do is stop running from His loving pursuit.

As I grow in faith, I realize more and more that everything that comes my way is an opportunity for God's love to be more evident in my life. He commanded us to love one another even as He loves us.
How?
First, His love is unmerited . . .

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  (Ephesians 2:4-7)

Even when we are sinners, even when we reject Him, even when we disobey Him, God STILL loves us. In our own tiny, mortal way, we try to hang our hats on it and define it -- we call it "grace." That grace, that unmerited love is given to us who don't deserve it. It can change us into new creations! As undeserving sinners, we were in depravity until He reached down and lifted us up; He poured out His grace into each of us.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,    out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock    and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:2)

We show this love to others when we bless them with grace and forgiveness, even when they don't ask us for it. We are showing evidence of His love in our lives.
God's love is also unlimited . . .

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (Luke 23:34)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  (John 3:16-17)

I expect that many, if not all, of us have heard a speaker say that if we were the only sinner on earth, Christ would still have died on the cross for us, and risen to intercede for us in heaven. God's love is unlimited - no matter what we have done, no matter what we have said or thought, He gave His only Son -- He did not withhold the best.  "God so loved the world." It's not an impersonal, dry statement of fact. It's the biggest and dearest valentine ever.

I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. (Jonah 4:2b)

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods.His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords:His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1-3)

Unmerited, unlimited love. How many times should we forgive someone? How many times must we smile and trudge on after insults? How many times are we to show love to the unlovely?

Lord, help us to reflect and project your unmerited and unlimited love to everyone that we come in contact with - each and every day!