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From a devotional by Henri Nouwen. I’ve added this to the site because I need to be reminded of its importance. So, it’s pretty much for me, but I share it because it might speak to you as well:
“We often confuse unconditional love with unconditional approval. God loves us without conditions but does not approve of every human behavior. God doesn't approve of betrayal, violence, hatred, suspicion, and all other expressions of evil, because they all contradict the love God wants to instill in the human heart. Evil is the absence of God's love. Evil does not belong to God. God's unconditional love means that God continues to love us even when we say or think evil things.God continues to wait for us as a loving parent waits for the return of a lost child. It is important for us to hold on to the truth that God never gives up loving us even when God is saddened by what we do. That truth will help us to return to God's ever-present love.”
1 Comment
Bobbie Chapman
2/9/2018 12:12:40 am
Liking and loving are very different. Equating them is a major problem. It goes to the heart of why domestic violence is such a scourge in our society. People stay because they love; random acts of “love” are used to excuse evil. The Lord loves us but have no doubt, The Lord holds us to account for our unacceptable behavior. Any doubt about this should be answered when Moses was allowed to look at the promised land but died and was buried outside of it. He had killed a man.
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Ian MacdonaldAn ex-copywriter turned punk rock pastor and peacemaker who dedicates his life to making the world a better place for all humanity. "that they all might be one" ~John 17:21“Prius vita quam doctrina.”
~ St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) * “Life is more important than doctrine.”
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