Because our creator is love and before there were humans, God being one in essence and three in persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) expressed that love. Nobody will deny that love exists, but they will deny that God exists, like I used to. You only need to observe our world for a little while to see love in action. A connection between different people that goes far beyond simple utility. Take a minute and gaze at my picture above. What stands out? What do you notice? Emotions that are incompatible with love in the darkness and on the fringes. Feelings that separate us from others that are outside the circle of love. In a letter in the Bible that the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth named 1 Corithians, Paul explains the importance of love. Ironically, this passage is used all the time in Christian and non-Christian marriage ceremonies as a way of conveying the meaning of love even to those who don’t believe in God. Paul starts out by saying that doing anything, even what most people would think of as good, without an other-centered good intention is actually not loving. Paul goes on to describe what love is:
Who among us, deep down, does not long to be loved in this way? And there is only one that possesses all of these qualities and only one that came to earth to show us what it means to love in this way. Jesus
Looking back at my picture, you’ll see the word connection as a kind of barrier around love and God. The idea here is that healthy connection with one another is what God wants for us. He wants us to be healthily connected to others and to be connected to Himself. That’s the reason He sent Jesus.
One other thing that I wanted to share about this picture is this. The inspiration for this picture came from 1 John 4:18a “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” As I mulled this scripture around in my head, this is the picture that God revealed to me. I do believe in many ways that it conveys, in some small way what we all experience.
I hope that as you think about these things, God will soften your heart and open your mind to allow Himself to connect with you.
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