This final week of Advent is about love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,” John 3:16. Merry Christmas indeed! Watching the news or reading the headlines could lead a person to think that love is dead, maybe even that God is dead. In an interview last weekend, Eric Metaxas stated, “The death of God is greatly exaggerated.” He said that Christians have no right to stay silent. Regardless of how society changes for the secular, Christians have no excuse for dour outlooks. Got love?
God is alive and His love is emanating through Christians around the world to corners not reached before. Living Water International is one example of many ministries, domestic and international, that reflect His love. LWI exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water, and to experience “living water” – the gospel of Jesus Christ. They started in Kenya 25 years ago and have since completed more than 15,000 water projects in 21 countries. Statistics show that at least 663 million people lack access to safe drinking water. Around the world, communities are trapped in debilitating poverty because they constantly suffer from water-related diseases and parasites, and/or because they spend long stretches of their time carrying water over long distances. LWI is a 501(c)3 non-profit that works to train, consult and equip local people to implement solutions in their own communities. Got “living water” – the gospel of Jesus the Christ? Got love.
Got Love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” – John 3:16-17. God’s love saved the world through His Son Jesus the Christ. Believers shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus did not fear for His life but walked boldly and testified to the Truth every step of the Way. Believers today are challenged to follow His lead regardless of how society changes, and love as He loved in Truth.
As the celebration of Jesus’ birth draws near, reflect on how you demonstrate the love our Father extended to you. Do you minister to your immediate family by leading spiritual discussions between Sundays? Are you involved in, praying for or financially supporting a local or global ministry? Are you engaged in Church initiatives that connect with the community? The Got Love challenge is on for individuals, families and the Church to demonstrate God’s love to a new level in 2016, and be contagious Christians.
Prayer guide: Lord, thank You for the love expressed through the birth of Your Son. Your grace introduced Light into a dark world. Lord, it seems pretty dark just now but through the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Your Son we have the Light to blast through the darkness. In the power of the resurrected Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, embolden me to do just that. Grant me the clarity, discernment and boldness to love as You love individually, in family and through the Church. Amen.
A faithful father walks in and reflects the love of the Father through Jesus the Christ.
