[1 John Series 6] Love in an Age of OutrageSample

Making a way for love

Ed Stetzer, church planter, pastor, editor, radio host, author, dean and Billy Graham distinguished chair for church, mission and evangelism at Wheaton College, was quoted in Outreach Magazine in October, 2018, as saying: “A lot of people have lost their lives to outrage and are losing their ability to relate to other people. People are being discipled by their cable news stations. They are being shaped by their social media feeds, producing more and more waves of division.”

Are we being dragged by those waves? Where do we stand on love? If you are married, where is your marriage right now? Are you getting pulled into tension and outrage with your spouse? Your family? Your brothers and sisters in your church family? Your friends?

We can allow the love of God do something in our lives so that then we are able to love well. We need to love our spouses, our families, our fellow believers, our friends, and even those that are outside our normal, little circles in which we live.

What can we do in a practical way? The first thing we can do is to get rid of the gnawing in our hearts and then receive healing. In the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. This means we must forgive those who have wronged us. Forgiveness is our best bet to keep our love flowing strong. Our obedience will restore our own wellbeing and our ability to love. Once healed, we can move on and love freely again. This way we let God do His work in our lives and we can walk in the light and share God’s love.

When God’s people walk consistently in the light, sharing His love, others will experience the love we show, and this will shape into their minds that our love is real. Little love gestures can go a long distance into their hearts, like giving them a Bible or going out of our way to bless them by letting them use our parking space or sharing the Gospel with them. This will have a cumulative effect that sometimes will lead the person to give their life to Jesus. It doesn’t matter how different they may seem from us or our background and life experiences.

To walk in the light in a great way is only possible through Jesus Christ!