God's Goodness and Love

The past three weeks as we’ve been joyfully awaiting the glorious coming of Christ we’ve studying about the Hope, Peace, and Joy that surrounds the first and second comings of our Lord and Savior.

This Sunday we will relight the first three candles of the Advent Wreath — the candles of HOPE, PEACE and JOY. Then we reach the fourth candle of Advent. This is the candle of LOVE. Christ demonstrated self-giving love in his ministry as the Good Shepherd. Advent is a time for kindness, thinking of others, and sharing with others. It is a time to love as God loved us by giving us his most precious gift. As God is love, let us be love also.

Romans 5:6-11 is another example of a perfect Advent Gospel passage – “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

What a promise!

Even if the Lord never showed anyone mercy, His character would remain unblemished. However, in His rich goodness and love, He has decided to shower mercy on some so that we might better know how deep and how wide His goodness really is.

John 13:34-35 says:

 “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This Advent season will you allow the love of God to change you from the inside out? Will you love one another as much as you love Christ?