Love Seeks

Create him! (# 1935)

When God was about to create man, says a Jewish legend, He took into His counsel the angels that stood about His throne. "Create him not," said the angel of Justice, "for if Thou dost he will commit all kinds of wickedness against his fellow man; he will be hard and cruel and dishonest and unrighteous." "Create him not," said the angel of Truth. "For he will be false and deceitful to his brother-man, and even to Thee." "Create him not," said the angel of Holiness, "he will follow that which is impure in Thy sight, and dishonor Thee to Thy face."

Then stepped forward the angel of Mercy (God’s best beloved) and said: "Create him, our heavenly Father, for when he sins and turns from the path of right and truth and holiness I will take him tenderly by the hand, and speak loving words to him, and then lead him back to Thee."

Sometimes when you sin you don’t feel too good about yourself. You feel unworthy to be loved. You feel like nobody, including God, would want to be around you. If you ever felt this way, you’re not alone! Many people have felt this way. I want to remind you how much God loves you. God is omniscient, which means He knows everything. That means He knows we will do all those rotten things the angels said in the short story I just read. But, He also knows the power of mercy.

Mercy: compassion or forgiveness shown towards an enemy or offender.

(Luke 15:12-13) The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.

For some reason this young man decided he wanted to go away from his family. He no longer wanted to be with them. Maybe you did the same at some time in your life.

i.e., Ron Goldberg 3rd year at SUNY CORTLAND - I was frustrated, and having a hard time, and eventually took it out on God. While I was frustrated I read Luke 14:26 which says, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be My disciple." I also read the story about a man’s father dying. And when his father died, he said to Yeshua, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Yeshua told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." (Matt 8:21-22)

I read these two stories and struggled with them. I wondered how a loving God could say such things. I then told God, "I give You "7" days to explain these verses to me. If You do, fine. But if You don’t, I’m forgetting about Yeshua and I am going back to the Jewish faith."

God answered me pretty quickly. But I heard an answer I wasn’t expecting. God told me He was not going to explain them to me. God wanted me to know that I, a mortal man, could not tell Him what to do.

I stopped reading my Bible, going to church, and attending the Bible Study on campus. I started going to Temple on Friday nights. Because of my frustration I tried to go far away from God just like the prodigal son. But God wouldn’t let me go. After Temple I went to the Student Union and joined the Campus Crusade for Christ for their Game night. I said I was going to walk away from God, but I still hung out with committed Christians. On top of this, all my house mates were committed Christians. Most of them were leaders at Campus Crusade for Christ.

I was really struggling with Math, and failing it going into Finals Week. Our teacher was generous and during Finals Week he allowed us to retake every test he gave us during the semester. Then he said he would only count whichever grade was higher.

I retook every test and went home for summer break. A few weeks into the summer, my grades came in the mail. I went into Finals Week with a solid "D" in Math. I looked at my report card, and I had a "B." When I saw the "B" God began to speak to me. He reminded me of the conversation we had several months earlier. God told me if I would be patient and start reading the Bible, He would help me understand what those stories were all about. I got out my Bible and began reading it again.

(Luke 15:14-18) After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. "When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father ...

Being in need, can be a very good thing. When we get to a place where we can’t take care of our self, we can finally come to our senses and realize we need to go home to daddy! Daddy may have some rules we don’t like. We may not understand everything He says, but Father really does know best! When we let dad take care of us, and run our life, we can have the best possible life.

(Luke 15:20) So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

When mercy speaks sense to us, and we let him lead us back to dad, we will find dad filled with compassion waiting and watching for us. He will be so excited to see us coming home, he will run to us, and hug us and kiss us. We may not feel worthy to go home, and be dad’s kid again, but dad loves us so much he will welcome us home.

(Luke 15:22-24) "But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

When we come home to God, He not only lets us back inside his home, but He throws the biggest party for us and celebrates.

Rosetti’s Find (# 3197)

One of the most striking and expressive pictures of Rosetti is that entitled "Found." The story behind the picture is a touching one. A country boy and country girl fall deeply in love. They pledged to each other their deathless love.

But the girl gives in to evil influences and is lured to the big city. There she sinks into a sewer of sin, throwing over her pure and happy past and even trying to forget the one she loved. He, however, remains true, seeking her everywhere. One day on Blackfriars Bridge he meets a gaudily dressed woman. He seizes her by the wrist and tells her of his continued love. The one he loves has been found.

We learned from one story in Luke 15 that God was watching and waiting for His son to come to his senses and come back home. But in Luke 15 there are a few other stories about God’s love for us. In these stories, God doesn’t wait for us to come to our senses. In these stories God comes searching for us. God wants nothing more than to be together with us.

Knowing how much God loves you is the most important thing, but I want you to know one more thing. We love you too! Unfortunately the other son did not welcome his brother home. Let’s pray that we never act like him. Everyone else was overjoyed when the man came home. We all make mistakes, and so when our brothers and sisters come to their senses and return home, let’s be overjoyed and welcome them home. Let’s seek to be one big, happy family! Let’s love and care for each other. Let’s go all out like the father, like God did, and show each other how much we love them.