Gospel of Love...

Charles Ringma quoting Mother Teresa reminds us,
"So tender is his love that he will never force himself upon us.. . rather, he draws a soul, God lifts a soul."
He carries on:
"It is sad to hear that some people think God is really oppressive and dictatorial, and that in the final analysis, God is all about control. It is even sadder when in probing the reasons for this perspective of God, we hear that this has been gained from a reading of the 'history of Christianity'. The Christian church has not always reflected God's peaceable kingdom."

"... It is in the babe of Bethlehem and in the man, Christ Jesus, that we see God's desire to reconcile, forgive, heal, and make whole. The whole gospel story is a story of this gentleness. There is no coercion, only love. There is no force, only love. Jesus did not demand. He welcomed. He invited. He embraced. He forgave. He healed. He set people free."

I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. (Hosea 11:4)

Not a bad measuring stick to keep our expression of mission accountable to!

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