Which came first? The Chicken or the egg?
A classic, arguable question that can be easily answered if one looks to the Word. On the fifth day, God created “every winged bird according to its kind.” Genesis 1:21b. So, there you have it – he did not create all the eggs to hatch, but he created the winged bird first.
Who should reach out first when an offense has been made?
A tough question, but also easily answered if one looks to the Word. Since the days following creation, God has been offended throughout history. Yet, in love, He reached out with his Son, Jesus; John 3:16 explains – “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son…” – Why? So that all the offenders, of God the Father, could be forgiven and given the ability to go to heaven and have eternal life. John 3:17 tells us what Jesus was NOT given for: with grace, “God did not send his Son into to the world to condemn the world, but to save the world.
God reached out first and that’s what we ought to do also…in love and in grace.
What kind of picture would humanity be in if God waited for the offenders (us) to reach out to him before he gave his only Son to die? I know God would still be waiting, because we are naturally a stubborn people, and there would be no hope in this life. But no, and thank God, He did not wait. HE LOVED US FIRST is what 1 John 4:19 tells us. Not because we deserved it, but because God is mercy.
“We love, because he first loved us.”
There you have it – We, who have been offended, must reach out first in love and in grace and offer continual love and mercy to the one who maybe doesn’t deserve it.
In this action, HOPE will prevail and relationships will be healed, as our broken humanity is healed through the blood & sacrifice of Jesus Christ. May this New Year be a year of healing broken relationships: between you and God, and between you and others, in love, grace, and mercy.
Always a Song of Hope 