This is Love

1 John 4:10 - This is love. Not that we loved God. But that He Loved us, and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin.

If today's nationwide gossip today is any indication, we humans are very self absorbed. This isn't a realization from my own brain (sadly). It is from my wife. I brought up the conversation with her this morning and she was quick to ask the question: "Why does this matter? Why is this so important when there are literally dozens of earth-shattering events happening as we speak? This is just gossip. People like to gossip. It satisfies some kind of perverted desire in our brains where we feel all close and cuddly with the people that emphatically agree with us. This is messed up."

And you know what? She is right. 1 John 4:10 above is command to re-center our brains on the Father and on what He has done for us. There is very little good that can come from gossiping about one sinner messing up and then another sinner messing up in response. Why do we do this? It's because it feels good. We sure do like to carp from the sidelines about everything. 

But once again, we prove to ourselves that this isn't love. We haven't loved. We haven't loved each other (fellow image bearers of God, His children). Therefore, we haven't loved God.

But he Loved us, and sent his Son. This brokenness is covered by Sin. This brokenness is covered by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. 

How about we let that be our "gossip"?