Life is unfair.  Life is not always what we think it should be. Life here is hard for all—sinners and saints. When sin and all the characteristics of the Enemy entered the God’s perfect world of beauty that God created for Adam and Eve and their offspring; Life became hard.  People became harder to deal with as humans fell for evil’s way to live. Evil teaches us to live for self to satisfy self.

When we “strive to have it all, our way” evil character traits began to grow as side effects of evil which give birth to intense hate, bitterness, envy, jealousy, abuse of each other while holding onto grudges against each other.  Wars are raged and battles are fought as we rank each other according to how we perceive what is good without asking God who is Good.  God has no favorites among His created in His own image humans; but we rank, file and divide humans over the color and shades from light to dark of our skin on the outside, the language we speak, where we live, how we live, along with what we have and hold.  Yes, sin filled people are a divided people with no hope of winning this battle for our souls. Unity eludes the divided and isn’t even on our agendas.  We want what we want and will not be satisfied until we get it all.

Love does not know them and they do not know love for Love is of God. (1 John 4) Their love is cheap and abusive as they use “good thoughts” with earthly, overused, pious words about love to manipulate others.  This is not the Love of God.

“All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, writes Paul (Romans 3) who should know because he, too was a sinner who called himself the “chief among sinners” until forgiven by Jesus who pursued Him on the road to Damacus to cause more trouble.  Jesus’ voice pierced the heart of Saul, “Why are you persecuting Me” the truth expressed as Saul/Paul thought he was waging a physical war against believers in Jesus to please God! Saul repented through blinded eyes to evil and opened eyes to a brand new life with Jesus.  Together, Jesus changed the current way of thinking in the Roman world through a zealous man named Saul. The SECRET, according to Saul whose name changed with his new life to Paul was a transformed way of life with “Christ living in me”. (Colossians 1:27

Life is harder when we cling to bitterness and rage against people we think should respond a certain way—our way.  Life is physically harder when worry overcomes our being to cause us to be emotionally unstable, easily exhausted and mentally unfocused.  Evil works hard to shift our minds from Christ and all that is good for us as promised by God Himself! 

Jesus gave this short and concise message of Love with a reminder of how to overcome this world with Him to his disciples just before going willingly and obediently to the cross to pay our debts of sin;

“Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”—Jesus, John 16:31-33

And Jesus IS coming back, you know, to conquer evil in the final battle in the war that has already be won!  (Revelation)

This message of truth is enough for all to give praise to God for it is HIS love in us, His power working through us while living within us that creates a force to be reckoned with by evil.  Evil cannot separate us from the Love of God growing within us. Paul writes to a divided church in need of unity that only God’s love and Truth can provide with this message;

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13

Jesus is asking us today, “Do you really believe all that God says to be really real, true, unshakable, reliable, and unchanging?”  Our answer will be life altering.

“I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace.”—Jesus

Jesus was sent to overcome the world of sin, wipe out the sins of the world and conquer death once and for all.  New life is given to all who believe along with the bonus of eternal life with God!  “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

THIS is the reason we stand in awe of our faithful God who is compassionate in all His ways.  Hallelujah, indeed!  Praise God from whom ALL blessing flow!  Praise God because He is God!  There is no one like our God!  God is the Love we seek and is the Love we will receive when we run to God!

Our shortest psalm to read this morning is probably the most profound!

Psalm 117, The Message

^1-2 Praise God, everybody!
Applaud God, all people!
His love has taken over our lives;
God’s faithful ways are eternal.
    Hallelujah!

Lord,

Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole all because of your great love for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I raise a hallelujah this morning as I talk with you and listen to your Word to me that strengthens my unshakable resolve to believe you.

YOU are God and no one else is You.  I believe.  I’m yours.  I’m listening. I’m ready.

In Jesus Name, Amen