Be God's Love

Luke 2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
 
THE angels had described Jesus’ birth scene to the shepherds in some detail. Then they told the shepherds to go and see the child who is Christ the Lord. The shepherds obeyed to see with their own eyes “just as they had been told.” These highly favored shepherds then spontaneously spread the good news praising God throughout Bethlehem before returning to the fields. Glorifying God is praising him and acknowledging him for the wonders he had done in Bethlehem and on earth that night. Joyfully, the shepherds had put God’s commands into action. In response, their words and emotions elevated God to the highest place in their hearts and minds. Their testimony also elevated God within the hearts and minds of Bethlehem’s people that night.
   This is a display of God’s love as an active, life-changing power. Love became flesh in the manger. Love also became flesh through the shepherds’ joyful response.
   That’s what happens when God breaks into the darkness, when he bids his people to come see him. Just as we have been told through the Bible, his love takes on flesh through countless people he has chosen to bear testimony to his work. We also see God’s love become flesh though people he has transformed from deep darkness into his eternal light.
   This is certainly true for a man I know. God has rescued him from drugs, alcohol and other addictions. It began years ago when he was near death in an emergency room with a drug overdose. God stepped into his dark life that night to say, “I love you.” And my friend began to see God’s love lighten his heart. For a time he sought God, glorifying his name, as he told what God had done. But then the darkness returned.
   But God’s love is stronger than sin. One cold night my  addicted, homeless friend was without hope. Then he saw a light through a doorway to a church. He walked into the room. Once more through the church, God held out his hand. “Welcome back. I love you. I’ve been waiting for you. Come see how I love you.” The church’s love became flesh. They received him, cared for his physical needs and nurtured his mind toward God. Through a long process, Jesus’ church fed my friend the gospel with the Spirit’s fruit. They helped my friend to the place he needed to be to heal, rest and begin anew. Joyfully, his love for Jesus has grown now to bear much fruit through his testimony. He has lived God’s love story, telling everyone he meets of Jesus’ power to transform lives. He will tell you and anyone he meets, “I love Jesus.” And it is evident he does because his life glorifies the God whose favor rescued him. Years have passed. The evidence is clear. My friend is certainly born again, a new creation in Jesus Christ.
   We all need to be such a church and loving child of the Father. We all have been separated from God. Some of us have desperately asked, “Where do I go? What must I do?” Then God has come to us to say, “I love you. I’ve been waiting for you. Come in and see my love for you.” Through his favor of faith on you, he has received you into the Light. The Holy Spirit has taken you to the doorway, so you can enter anew into God’s love. God wants you to know that his Word is just as you have been told.
   The church who received my friend glorified God. They put flesh on God’s love to be a difference in his life. What possible ways might you and your church be God’s love in the flesh to someone?
 
Prayer: Thank you, God, for revealing your love to me through your church. I pray that in return I love those you send to me, so more people will know your remarkable love. Amen.