All my life my parents have been very open about the fact
that they love me. They tell me often and they back this up with action.
Through their love I was able to come to understand the great love that God has
for me. I’m so thankful for this.
When I was little, I equated love with getting what I
wanted. If I didn’t get what I wanted I would say in a frustrated tone “You don’t
love me.” If I was particularly angry I might even say “You hate me!” I didn’t
understand that when my parents withheld things from me, they were doing so for
my own good.
Here is a classic example. I have always loved ice cream and
pretty much anything else ice cream related (banquet ice cream pies come to
mind). When I was really young we pretty much only had these treats around birthdays
and a few other assorted times throughout the year. I always got frustrated with the small
portion sizes that my mother would dish out. Add to that the fact that she made
me eat “real food” first and things could get downright irritating at times.
Because I was young and inexperienced, I didn’t realize that
a steady diet of ice cream would prevent me from growing up healthy and strong.
My parents monitored my intake not because they wanted to be mean but because
they wanted me to be the best me I could be. They did this because they loved me.
I think this is a very clear picture of God’s standards.
There is an increasingly heated debate going on in our culture regarding moral
issues such as abortion and sexual identity. When these issues are brought up
many people say we should just love one another. Their definition of love is to
say everyone should live the way they want to and no one should judge.
When they bring this up they often point out that God is
love. I couldn’t agree more except for the fact that they leave out a crucial
element. God is love but we must remember that that love drove Jesus to the
cross. Why was the cross necessary? It was because we all fall short of God’s
perfect standard. If whatever actions we chose were okay simply because God is
love the cross would be unnecessary, but that is not reality.
The reality is that we are all sinners. If you have known me
for any length of time you know that I fall short. But there is a difference
between struggling with sin and declaring it as acceptable behavior within a
society. Here is what God’s word says about the crucial issues we are
discussing.
First on the issue of life:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before
thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a
prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
God has made it very clear in his word that he has a purpose
for each life (born and unborn) and that we should esteem it highly. Technology
backs up the truth of the Bible because we now know that a baby’s heartbeat is
detectable two weeks after conception and that unborn babies are clearly
active, alive, and separate beings from their mothers. If you want to continue
to fight for abortion, I can’t stop you, but you can no longer be in denial
about the fact that abortion is murder.
Second on the issue of marriage:
“And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that
he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For
this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife:
and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore
they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:4-6)
When God brought Eve to Adam in the garden he was
establishing his parameters for marriage. He brought Adam his wife because he
was not complete in himself and needed a helper. Through this union the human
race was continued as children were born. Again, you have the freedom to
disagree with me on this issue but I did not come up with these standards—God did.
So why do we as a culture at large have such an issue with
God’s standards? While there may be a variety of factors it really boils down
to a simple fact. Because we are created in the image of God Satan hates us. He
wants us to believe that God made a mistake and that he is not trustworthy.
Jesus put it this way “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and
to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it
more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Let me just state here that Satan has no new material. Every
lie he gives us is a distortion of the truth. For example, babies are a lot of
responsibility but responsibility was actually the foundation upon which God
built the earth. He told mankind to fill the earth and subdue it. “And God
blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
(Genesis 1:28)
Somehow though our culture has come to almost view children
as a curse or at the very least scheduled commodities to be pursued at our
convenience. This attitude has even begun to infiltrate the church. We need to
realize that children are a blessing from the Lord and unlike many of our
earthly possessions we can bring them with us to heaven if we train them up in
the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Sex is a wonderful thing. God gave it as a precious gift for
marriage. “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled:” (Hebrews
13:4) He wanted husbands and wives to be able to enjoy each other and also to
bring forth the next generation. Sex without the commitment of marriage leads
to children growing up without one or both parents, physical difficulties,
regrets, and the search for the next big thing when the results are not as
fulfilling as expected. It’s kind of a shame that because of the way the devil
has distorted it, it is almost viewed as dirty today. I am thankful for parents
who have taken the time to share with me the truth about its value.
Jesus loves us enough to accept us just the way we are but
he does not leave us there. If he did, coming to Him would mean nothing.
Instead he promises us “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Corinthians
5:17) Because of his death, burial, and
resurrection we can live brand-new lives empowered by the Holy Spirit to do
what is right. If he had just told us “you’re okay” we would be headed to hell because
a Holy God cannot look on sin. He loved us enough to point out our problem
and was also perfect enough to provide a solution, giving us heaven to look
forward to. That’s love, folks.
In closing, please know that I am well aware that some
people have done and said things in a very hateful manner in the name of
Christ. That is not acceptable and is not representative of the body of Christ
as a whole. As Christians our calling is to speak the truth in love. It is my
love for people that persuades me to do what I do at Speaking4him. I have come
to realize that even speaking the truth in love can cause others to label me a
hater but I’m okay with that. They did the same thing to Jesus.
Consider this. If you had a friend whose house was on fire
would you tell him or would you simply avoid the subject because it isn’t
pleasant? The easy answer is that of course you would tell them. After all, who
would want their friend’s house to burn down? The truth doesn’t cease to be the
truth simply because we decide that it is not applicable to us. It is the truth
no matter what. So what about you? Will you share the truth gently but with
boldness? That’s what true love is all about!
Speaking4Him,
Andrew Gommesen
