John 3:16

Jamie Anderson looks at who God loves

Jamie Anderson

Lately I keep hearing statements like, why is God mad at me? Why did God let that happen? What does God intend when this happened in my life? Why didn't He provide for my need in that moment? Why does He do "______" for that person and not for another?

Of course I also hear His name used in vain or as part of a derogatory slew of verbiage, in an effort to express more emotion or anger than normal and it always makes me think one thing..... do these people really know God?

Do they have the right view of who, what and why God is God? Has someone somewhere along the way painted the wrong picture and God been undersold, misrepresented or has no picture been painted at all?

There is no easy answer to some of my previous questions. In theory He can be everything we need at all times, but the issue is that we won't or don't always let Him be God.

So I propose this: try to show Him as an "and" or "both"...let me explain.

God is both a Father - one who loves us like child and a friend - one who wants us to hang out with Him whenever we can. He is both Lord - one we allow to order our steps and King - one we choose to serve. He is both a Saviour - one who sent His son to save us and a Rescuer - one who continues to rescue us when we fall, (notice I said "when"). He is both the reason we exist - one who gave us life and who we are created to worship and one who requires that we give all we are to Him.

The list can go on... in fact why don't you try filling in some of your own? You might quickly realise that God is more or less than you realised.

At times we think we are better than we are and have reason to criticise others who are not as good. Sometimes we believe we are a good person by showing love and compassion to people who aren't as good as us. The reality is though, that we are all sinners and need just as much help as everyone else does.

Hopefully you can end up here: God loves you, just as you are.... just as He does everyone else.

The Bible shows us what real love is; in John 3:16 it says, 'God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life'.

'God so loved the world' - yep, every part... yes, even all of it; the bits you don't like to talk about, don't want to know about, or can't understand.

'He gave His only son' - I think He is pretty serious about making sure you understand how much He loves you AND how much He wants to be loved by you.

'Whoever' - ouch; that's risky. I guess that means He loves you AND them. You know the ones you want to stay away from? The mean people, the alcoholics, liars, cheaters, hookers, pious perfect ones, drug dealers in the bad parts of town. Even the Politicians, MP's, Prime Ministers and Presidents, who say one thing to get elected and another to stay in office. How about the pastors who make moral failures? Yes, all of them too.

His love is "AND". He loves sinners and saints. Those who are hurt AND those who are happy. Even those who do the hurting!

The world has done a great job of stepping on those who fall and praising those who stand, regardless of what they stand for. Don't be like that. Be like Him.

The question, is He God or isn't He, can be best answered like this, He's both. To some, He is and to other's, He's yet to be.