My kids love to eat dessert, but they often prefer to skip the vegetables that come beforehand. The thing is, they know they can't get dessert unless they clean their plates.
The Bible is a little similar to this, but it's not a perfect analogy. We often love to hear the verses about God's love for us, but we can sometimes be guilty of skipping over the verses calling us to participate in works that push for justice for all people, in lives that go out into the world and engage with righting the wrongs in society. It's easy to accept love, while it can be challenging to go out and practice that unconditional love.
The way that it is different is that for my kids at dinner, the vegetables and dessert have nothing to do with each other. Broccoli and popsicles have nothing in common. With God's love, the unconditional love and favor poured out into us naturally should lead us into the world to do works of justice. Once we recognize that God loves us unconditionally, we should naturally realize that God loves other unconditionally, and that God's favor is poured out on all people. If God can love me, then God can love anyone, and therefore I should love everyone, and just as God showed that in the sacrificial love of Christ, so, too, should I show this love for others. It's a natural progression. It isn't always easy for us, but that's the path we should follow. To recognize that God loves us and lifts us up is to recognize that God has that some love for others, and if God loves someone with infinite love, then shouldn't we love them, too? And if we truly love one another, what actions does that call us into?
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