How real is our love for ALL of God's children?

If someone was to ask you “Do you love all of God’s children?” your answer would most probably be “why of course I do” after all that is what Jesus instructs us to do right?  To me this answer comes as one out of obedience for most.  It’s an automatic response.  God tells me to love all, so of course I do.

As the body of Christ, when approached, we tell all that Jesus loves them no matter what. To come as you are that the love of the Father is unconditional.

But is the body of Christ’s love unconditional?????

For the scorned, abandoned and abused they come slowly, not fully trusting the words that are being spoken to them. The world has already beaten them down, torn them to pieces and labeled them as worthless.  The world will continue to remind them of situations and circumstances in their lives to keep them knocked down.  They are judged and condemned.

So why does the body of Christ tend to do the same thing??

(  Just keepin’  it real folks…stay with me)

Jesus tells us in………

John 12:47

⁴⁷ And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

For the lost and hurting, the body of Christ is their only link to Jesus. To learn and see who he really is. It may take some longer to believe and understand, they may fall back into the only life they ever knew, some may even run from the love of the Father.  The world will tell them they must be holy, perfect and without spot or blemish for God to love them. And in some cases, the church has done the same thing. Those who are broken are looked upon as unworthy to walk through the doors. To be spoken to, embraced and cared for.  But the truth is……The perfect, holy and unblemished lamb has already been sacrificed for us all!!!!! JESUS!!!!!!! Remember HE came to save the world!!!!!!!!!

It is time for the body of Christ to stop deeming who is worthy of God’s love, Jesus took care of that on the cross!!

Look at Jesus’ life here on earth. HE walked amongst the sinners. To teach them, to love them, to deliver them and restore them. Look at those who HE called to walk with HIM. Paul was a murderer at a time in his life. He killed Christians in the belief he was doing what was right. Bound by law and tradition.

Jesus set him free!!!!

Peter denied him three times…. In truth HE lied!!! And that was after the time he spent in the teachings of Christ. But Jesus loved and forgave him anyway.

Take a look at the adulteress woman…. ( John 8:1-11)  They brought her to Jesus to have her stoned to death. The people had already condemned her unworthy of forgiveness and love.  What did Jesus do?????

He told the crowd “He that has NOT sinned throw the first stone” …..

They ALL walked away and Jesus asked the woman, where are your accusers?  She tells him they are gone.  He tells her he too does not condemn her and to go and sin no more. THAT’S LOVE!!!!!!!!

We as the body of Christ walk around proclaiming God’s unconditional love but yet we are the first to throw a stone…………………

We allow Law to creep back in our doors and justify our actions that “it is written” We are emotionally killing our brothers and sisters with our lack of love. We are crying out for them to make that walk to the altar, to lay it all down and then we whisper amongst ourselves the reasons we believe they are the way they are.

The body of Christ cannot be double minded.  We cannot love as Christ and in the same breath judge as the world does.That is not the love of Christ.
Ohhhh we can tell ourselves we are doing what is right, just as Paul did, but when the broken and scorned, the abused and hurting refuse to walk through the doors because they are not feeling love…..It is a sad situation.

It is not our job to change them……It is our job to love them, share our testimonies with them, for us to show then what the Father has done in our lives when WE were broken and scorned and/or abused.  To let them know they are not alone and there is a way out of the world they are living in and for.

Just as the crowd who was ready to stone the adulteress woman, they had stones in their hands ready to fire away….Ask yourself, are we as the body of Christ waiting with stones in hand???? Or is our arms open wide to embrace and hold those who are hurting???

In all my failures and down falls in life……..My sins and running away….Never once has my daddy God thrown a stone at me. He has always been there with open arms, to shelter me, love me and heal me.

I am by no means saying we are to encourage and applaud a life of sin….

I am not saying we are to agree and accept it as so…..

We are however, are to love, share and teach the ways of the Father.

To pray and stand in the gap for those in need. To be a vessel who pours out unconditional love and for our words to be the words of the Father allowing them to become a balm of Gilead over their wounds, NOT pouring salt into open wounds!!!!

It seems as a society we have our own grading scale for sin…..

We deem murder worse than lying……

We deem theft worse than affairs….

Addicts will always be the same……

And in general our society doesn’t believe in second chances.

But the goodness of God does …..

He will continue to reach out in love to ALL his children, regardless of the mistake, or sin.

Think about it this way……

As a parent would you turn your child out because of any mistakes he or she would make in life????  Would you stop loving them??

 (Luke 15:11-32) Think of the prodigal son…..What did his father do upon his return?? He never said...” I told you so” “What were you thinking?” How could you??”  “ You made your bed now lie in it!!! “     NO he ran to meet him on the road….

Luke 15:22

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate

In the eyes of God, a sin is a sin….There is no grading scale.

But His love is everlasting and unconditional!!!!!!

HE runs to meet us on the road!!!! Right where we are to celebrate our home coming!!!!!!

I admit there are those that all we can do is pray for them. There are those who we have done all we can to reach out and embrace only to have them reject our love (which in reality is the love of Christ). The ones who continue to choose to do wrong and harm to others. YES we are to love them still…...

(Friends and family live the same life style from days gone by….I still  love/ pray for them.)

Not belittle, degrade and humiliate them. We don’t have to agree with their choices, but we are to love them, just as Jesus loves us all.

Bottom line is this…..For those who have never known the love of the Father, or have been shunned by those who claim to walk according to his word….. How are they suppose to see who Christ truly is, when we the body of Christ are portraying a judging, condemning picture??

In my life I have experienced times of judgment and criticism ……
Some very harsh…….

Looking back, I found the rejection and unkind words (spoken and unspoken) left me feeling so unworthy and unloved, I just wanted to crawl in a hole and never come out. I could not fathom the rejection that was spewed on me. It wasn’t a coat of many colors I wore; it was a cloak of heaviness and despair.  Then looking a little farther, I can see where I too had been judgmental and full of criticism………….. OUCH!!!!!!

There were times in m life when I was a modern day Paul……

I believed I was doing right, but in reality I was bound by tradition and law therefore killing my brothers and sisters spiritually with my words and actions……………

My brutal honesty and self righteous actions did not portray the love of Christ…and for that my heart breaks……

I have purposed in my heart to look to those who are hurting the way I would want to be……

To the ones rejected…..I will open my arms with love…..

To the ones who feel unworthy… I will share my stories of my failures and God’s grace in the midst of it all.

God is not a favor of person….and neither should the body of Christ.

I want to be a redeemed Paul……..

        How about you?

xoxoxo

Stacey

* I take no credit for photos in this post*