HEARTS AFLAME: DIVINE LOVE AND POWER

God's Love and the Power for Change

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7: 14

“By this shall they know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:35

The world sometimes seems like such a messy place. Our era is marked by division, derision and discontent. With so many claims to truth in opposition to one another, even amongst those of the faith – what are we to do? How do we stand firm and cling to the God who is the Way, the Truth and the abundant Life in the midst of the chaos and brokenness? 

The Living Word gives us His solution. We are to love one another. When in doubt, love.  God is love. We are known as His followers, marked by Him when we love. Loving is the essence of all of the Laws – to love God, love our neighbours as we love ourselves. We are to speak the truth – in love. Yet we speak so often without love. I am guilty.

Faced with difficult circumstances, people and challenges, how many times do we instead lift an eyebrow and judge? How easy it is to purse one’s lips and shake our heads in disapproval when things don’t go our way, when enemies transgress upon us and our comfort, or when we are confronted by difference or offended by words or deeds? Love or judge. Can we choose to love and leave the judging to our Lord? 

I remember being confronted by a dear friend who identifies as gay. As we are true friends and she knows I care for her and would be honest, she asked me if she was going to hell. I prayed for wisdom and the Holy Spirit deposited the Word in my heart. I told her the bible calls homosexuality a sin. In the eyes of God, he calls anger the same as murder, lust the same as adultery – God is binary about sin. I confessed I too am a great sinner. Then I shared, ‘He also tells me all His laws are summed up as Loving God and Loving Our Neighbour as Ourself.’ So I told her that I also love her. I believe both my statements are true and I will leave the conviction and judgement to the Great Judge. 

The key to loving is perhaps less about standing up for things, and more about lowering ourselves as Jesus did – humbling ourselves, bowing to Him: the only one who has the power to change us and mould our hearts. We bow and pray not for change, but that we may be changed.  We pray that we may see Him – our heart’s deepest gladness, in the radiance of our brother or sister. In humility, we bow. In humility we are forgiven. In humility we are healed because when there is none of us there is so much more space for the fullness of our Saving Grace. 

As we seek His kingdom, can we choose to love as He loved? Less of me and more of Him.

May we each be an instrument of Your peace for Your kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.

Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

The writer, who prefers to remain anonymous, is a leader in the people sector and contributor to SCGM’s strategic thought leadership.

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