The Pilgrim Path---First John 4: 8 – 11

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

“THE PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS…”

The LORD God Almighty was heinously turned on by man (Garden of Eden). He legitimately could have cast us to endless perdition. But wait---He is Love. He has this passionate inclination of conveying goodness toward His creatures (as Jonathan Edwards puts it). Because love is a verb---He must act. You can give without loving---but you cannot love without giving (Victor Hugo). HE gave His only Sinless Son---to deliver disastrously fallen people (moral rebels). This is the affection of Heaven: He made His Son the atoning sacrifice for our transgressions (all of them). He had the Son come into a world of death---that we might possess eternal life! But the Sinless One had to die in our place for all our diabolical wrongs. Wow---He loves us that much!

If you have not done it yet---Repent! Recognize your sin for what it is: lack of conformity to---and transgression of---the Law of God. Demonstrate Regret for your moral rebellion---All our sin is ultimately against God. Acknowledge that---just like King David in Psalm 51 (the LORD will gladly hear & receive you). Then---reject your sin. Run from it--- to Jesus the Savior crying, “My LORD and my God,” and He will cleanse you by His Blood. He died for sinners---and came back from the dead---to prove He can keep them forever. Thanks be to God!

On this Good Friday---Because HIS love is upon us and within us:

---we may let go of anger

---we may let go of bitterness

---we may let go of a critical spirit

---we may let go of our desire for revenge

---we may let go of having to be somebody

---we may stop using our energy for evil

---we may let go of fault finding

---we may let go of the world’s definitions of success

---we may let go of vendettas

---we may let go of greed

---we may let go of gossip

---we may let go of promoting self

We may live in the freedom of His affection---and show it to others—Thanks be to God!

A heart check from Amy Carmichael:

Love through me, Love of God,

There is no love in me;

O Fire of love, light Thou the love

That burns perpetually.

Flow through me, Peace of God,

Calm river flow until

No wind can blow, no current stir

A ripple of self-will.

Shine through me, Joy of God,

Make me like Thy clear air

That Thou dost pour Thy Colors through,

As though it were not there.

O blessed Love of God,

That all may taste and see

How good Thou art, once more I pray,

Love through me, even me.

Grace and Peace in Jesus, the Only Redeemer of broken and wretched souls, Pastor Jason