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(This continues the series of unposted articles from 2020-2022, which were first posted in The Atmore News.)

As a pastor, it seems there is always something I am studying. I am either studying for a sermon, for teaching a class, for writing a publication, or simply to personally grow closer to the Lord. This type of study is part of pastors’ lives every day. We are expected to provide insight and guidance for people as they seek to understand how God would have them relate to him and others. Many times, pastors are able to point people in the right direction because we are afforded the time to study and prepare. I enjoy helping others in this way.

 

We also study in other ways. We study cultures and people. We observe how people relate, how they interact with us, and how they live out their lives around town. It’s astonishing to see the differences between cultures and people from different areas around our country and the world. Each place and its people have much to teach an observer. I have learned a lot from being around various people and noting their differences.

 

Differences aren’t all that matter in this world, though. It is important to understand similarities. We humans all have the same external physical features and the same internal systems. We were also all created in one image – God’s image. The Creator stamped some tell-tale signs of himself within each of us. Here are some good examples: He is creative; we are creative. He created beauty; we appreciate beauty. He is perfect in his intelligence; we have the capacity for knowledge, wisdom, and truth. He is perfectly moral; we are capable of being good, we can love, we can grasp what is right and what is wrong, we can understand justice, and we can even understand the need for wrath or punishment for things that demand it.

 

God loves us and created us in his image. That is incredible. No matter my age and how long I have walked the path of Christianity, these facts amaze me. How could God, perfect in all ways, love me? I am created in his image, yet I am imperfect and unable to live up to the standards of my Creator. When I examine the Ten Commandments and compare myself to them, I come away frustrated and discouraged until I realize that God IS love. He does not just love, he actually IS love, itself, (see John 4:8). Unlike you and me, there is no imperfection in God. His love is perfect. He loves us in spite of ourselves. He is perfect. You and I cannot fully grasp the purity of a love untainted by self-doubt, poor self-image, devalued self-worth, and full of sin. God is capable of loving us fully because he lacks nothing and is not encumbered by any sin or any deficiency.

 

When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment was, he replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” He then said the second most important commandment is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40 ESV).

 

There are differences between individuals and subgroups of people. These differences can be both beautiful and troubling, but a Christian’s job is to love God with everything he has and to love others with a desire for them to receive God’s best, as he would desire God’s best for himself. We are to love God fully and desire the very best for every one of our family, friends, and acquaintances. This, Jesus said, is of utmost importance. Why would it be so important? Because, by loving God with everything we are, we live to bring attention and glory to God and his perfect love. Earlier, I wrote that we “can even understand the need for wrath or punishment for things that demand it.” Something within each of us knows that we, in no way, deserve to reside with God in Heaven. We somehow understand that a perfect God in a perfect Heaven cannot allow imperfection into his presence or it would no longer be perfect. We understand that we cannot live out perfection.

 

Here is the good part: God, who created us in his image, also provided payment for our imperfection. Jesus came to suffer our death penalty for our sins and trade his innocence for our guilt, allowing us to rightfully live an eternity in Heaven based upon his righteousness because we could not be righteous on our own. If a Christian really understands this, he gratefully loves God with every part of his heart, soul, and mind, and his life shows it. If a Christian really understands this, he loves others, seeking God’s perfect forgiveness for them just as he received God’s perfect forgiveness.

 

I hope that you enjoy the culture and the people here in Atmore, Alabama. Our culture and our people are special. Some of the most caring and kind people I’ve met have been right here. I know you feel the same. My desire is that we all know the truth of God’s love, that we live it out in front of others, and we seek the gift of eternal life for everyone we meet.