“I have spoken of these matters in figures of speech, but soon I will stop speaking figuratively and will tell you plainly all about the Father. Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God.
John 16:25-27 NLT
We pilgrims know and understand that God loves us. In fact, Jesus said that we are dearly loved by His Father because we love His Son and believe that He came from God. But in a sense we also know that God loves everyone. The Scripture John 3:16, “For God so loved the world …..” paints a picture of a God who mercifully loves His creation even though most do not reciprocate that love. Sometimes we wonder why God “loves” those who are so evil and who reject Him so forcefully, but instead of punishing those who do wrong on the spot, He allows them to continue their lives, giving them an opportunity to repent and turn to Him. We speak about “common grace”, as illustrated by Jesus in Matthew 5:45b, ” ….For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike“. God’s love is not conditional on a response from human beings, but He allows sinful man (and woman) to continue their lives and finally enter the place they have chosen for their spell in eternity.
God created man in His image (Genesis 1:27) and with that the ability to love. Human beings possess what is termed as free will, the ability to make choices. And loving somebody is a choice we can make. But the downside of having free will is the ability to hate. Love and hate are emotions and responses that we find embedded deep within our world cultures, and we know that there is an enemy lurking behind everyone ready to influence good and bad choices (mostly bad) to suit his evil agendas. But Jesus came to this world saying counter-cultural things like “love your enemy” (Matthew 5:43-44), overturning established thinking and founding a Kingdom aligned to God’s will.
So, the question for everyone, including us pilgrims, is “do you love Jesus and believe He is God’s Son”? The answer to that question will determine a person’s future beyond the grave.
Dear Father, thank You for Your love and for Jesus, who was the outworking of that love for all mankind. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 