Love and Suffering 

     Do we love others because they do something for us, one way or another? Or do we love them regardless of self-benefit? 

     Marriages fail sometimes because husband or wife isn't receiving the desired benefit ... not always because of abuse or infidelity. If we love someone only for what he or she does for us, that is self-love. 

     Jesus the Christ suffered and died to take the penalty for our transgressions ... and rose again to launch the great commission ... winning us over, enlisting us in his army, taking the good news to the ends of the earth. 

The Bible says, "He so loved the world..." 

     Does he love us because we are "righteous" people ... because we support our church and missionaries? Because he feels victorious when we choose him over Satan? I say, "No!" 

     He values those choices, but God is so superior to his creation, we can't imagine. He did give us some "light" when he appeared in our form 2,000 years ago. 

     God loves us ... because he loves ... yes, because he loves. Most of us love ourselves. He also wants us to love others, including our enemies ... those who don't believe ... who wish to rule us, or reject us, or destroy us. God's invitation is still extended to our/his enemies ... for a time. We aren't given the right to hate them into hell. Although that is the destiny of many.

     So, while obeying our Lord, we may suffer. In 1 Peter chapter 3 he calls us to rejoice in suffering, as Christ suffered. And if we suffer for the Name, an interesting development comes about. We are less likely to entertain sinful desires. 

         Jimmy