Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. 鈥 1 John 3:1-2
My own personal reading lately has centered on learning more about the love God has for us. One author wrote that God loves with a passionate love. Another author described God鈥檚 love as God bending down low to reach us, like a grandfather. Both descriptions are apt, yet still incomplete.
English teachers know that our use of the English language is limited and often fails at truly expressing one鈥檚 thoughts on love. Spanish teachers know that translating from one language to another is often problematic. The same can be said of translating from Hebrew and Greek. We just don鈥檛 always have the right word or metaphor to truly express the kind of love God has for us.
The first letter of John tries to express the love God has for us 鈥 a love so great that we are called Children of God. So, God鈥檚 love must be like that of a father to his children. And yet, it is so much more.
People are also reading…
The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd whose sheep (followers) hear and follow his voice. Jesus knows them, and they know him. This last summer I had the opportunity in Ireland to watch a sheepdog and shepherd in action. As the shepherd called out commands, the sheep responded, as did the sheepdog, to those commands. His was the only voice to which they responded. This got me thinking about the voice of the Good Shepherd and how many different voices there are today that overshadow one another and keep us from hearing the voices that matter.
Our children today are bombarded with so many different voices that they are often confused as to which voice to follow. They depend on the trusted adults in their lives to help them weed out the destructive voices so they can follow the voices that will bring them peace. Are you one of those trusted voices they look to? If you are, are you listening to the voices that bring peace and love so that you can share God鈥檚 love with them? We can not give what we ourselves do not have.
God desires to love us, so much so that he calls us his children, as we heard in 1 John. That love is full of passion and only asks us to love in return but it requires us to listen for the Good Shepherd鈥檚 voice.
蜜柚直播 faith leaders, we would like to include your original sermon or scriptures of encouragement. Sermons must be written by the person submitting them, not borrowed from another source or writer. If you are a faith leader from any religion or denomination, please contact Sara Brown at sbbrown@tucson.com.
Some people just seem to be happy all the time. For others, it鈥檚 not so easy to shake off negative emotions. Here are ten easy, scientifically-proven 鈥榟appiness hacks鈥 you should try.
Karen Brady
