Thursday
1 John 4:7-14

Savior of the World

The seeds of hate sow such bountiful crops, don’t they? Division must have been Satan’s favorite subject in school.

For it doesn’t take much for him to coax us into crinkling up our noses in disgust to those of a different color, culture, or creed than us.

With little effort, for sure, he prods the poor to detest the rich and the rich to detest the poor.

How he must laugh at our pettiness and blindness to the truth for there are people who will battle to the death over the colors red and blue.

Oh, the churches he’s laid to waste over translations, music, robes, room temperature, money, dancing, class sizes, carpet color, ties, shorts, skirt length, instruments, flowers, standing up, sitting down – I could go on for hours.

It took no effort on our part to learn how to hate. But it took an act of God so extreme to show us how to love each day. To set aside our differences, our pettiness, and our pride, we must make it our daily goal to cast those things aside.

The Bible makes it crystal clear he did not come for some. He came for those condemned to die by sin’s unscrupulous talons. He came for those who humbly bow with their flags of surrender unfurled. My Jesus came so that all may be saved, for he’s the Savior of the World.