Assalaam `alaikum

Dear Friend,

Allow me as a fellow human being to share with you what's on my heart. It really hurts to see so much hatred, fear and hurt in the world today. The basic reason for this is that there is a lack of true love, with the emphasis on true and love, because love without truth is simply license. The truth of God's love is so important for us to grasp. It not only affects how we view ourselves, but also how we view others. God says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." * This definition of love is how God says he treats us and also how he wants us to treat others.

The reason why we need God's love is because we are sinful people. The word sin is not always a politically correct word. The reason why this word makes most human beings feel so bad, is that they don't know any remedy for sin. Many times man simply tries to ignore the reality of sin, making a mockery of God's law and the need for justice. Yet sin is like an ugly cancer which begins almost unnoticed, but in the end deals it's fatal blow.

So what do we do about the reality of sin (failing to meet up to God's perfect standard) in our lives? We can try to suppress it, try to think positively about it, try to do enough good things to outweigh it, try to convince ourselves that good things count more than bad things, etc., etc. Our attempts may convince our friends and satisfy our religious leaders, but it may not squelch that niggle in our heart of hearts telling us that sin is more serious than we want to admit. Are we willing to admit our sin?

The answer to sin is God's love. God's love never compromises the truth. It is always powerful enough to deal with whatever the truth reveals--no matter how bad it is. As stated above, God's love is big enough to overcome any obstacle. That's not only refreshing, that's a relief because the deserved result of sin is spiritual death. Spiritual death is separation from God, his blessings and his favor for all eternity. That's why I am sharing my heart with you because this is too important of topic to simply be clouded by religious vocabulary that has no relation to real life and eternity.

A man came to one of the prophets one day and asked him what was the greatest commandment in God's law. The prophet very wisely said that the greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Then he added, "And the second is like it, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " He went on to state that all of God's law and the message of his prophets hang on these two commandments. Receiving God's love is not only the key to our acceptance by God, but it's also the motivation for how we treat others around us. God says that his love toward us allows us to love him and others in return.

Sincerely,
Your friend, a servant of truth and love.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NIV®
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