God Loves You
April 7, 2019
John 14:6
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
God invited one of our deacons, Gene Hall home to the Lord last Monday morning and we had a celebration of life for him on Thursday.
One of the stories I heard was from a gentleman who said that every time he spoke with Gene their conversation would end with “God loves you” sometimes with that impish smile Gene had.
As I thought about that I wondered if the inference from that look could be Gene seeing the question: “God loves me?” indicating that person’s question of “How could He, has He not seen the life I’ve lived?” But I know Gene was trying to get the point across to him that all of us, however undeserving we may feel of God’s love, are offered that love from Him.
It has no relationship to whether or not we deserve it. In fact that’s the point, He loves us in spite of what we deserve.
I also heard the story from someone who said that in their life they had gone done a path leading them away from God but Gene steadfastly reminded them “God loves you” and in their darkest time Gene was there to help lead them back to the right path to understanding how much God loved them despite of the twists and turns in their life.
There were many stories like those two but one of the themes I took from all the stories was that Gene was sort of like a lighthouse for Jesus, sounding a warning and providing a light to those who may have been sailing close to dangerous ground.
Jesus, in Matthew 6 tells us; “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.“ [Matthew 6:33]
What I heard was that what Gene had been trying to steadfastly communicate was a quote I found that says this:
If you have not chosen the kingdom of God first, it will, in the end, make no difference what you have chosen instead. ~ William Law
Gene, thank you for being that lighthouse to all who would heed the message: “God Loves you!” You will be missed.
~Pastor Floyd Banks