All You Need...

I’m thinking of the lyrics of two popular songs from the sixties. “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” And one by the Beatles: “All You Need Is Love.” Sounds good. I suggest there’s a problem with it, though. Love that is all we need is the unattainable ideal. At least the love necessary to heal America is beyond human capacity. Just because a virtue is absolutely beautiful does not mean it is absolutely achievable.

Love is the law. It is the foundation of the Law of Moses. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The human race dabbles in this commandment, but one need not look far to see our failure to implement it satisfactorily. “By the Law comes knowledge of sin”(Romans 3:20). It let’s us know how sinful we are-how unloving we are. Sure, all we need is love…but where do we get what we need. God is love. By faith in Jesus Christ, that Love comes to live in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

The church of Jesus Christ is the temple of this Love on earth. America needs now what resides in the community that confesses Jesus as Lord. To many people, that sounds like bad news. For sure they see some love flowing from us, but everyone senses that it should be more than it appears. Where there is a babbling brook there should be a raging river.

So what’s blocking the flow? Unforgiveness–specifically, unforgiveness between members of the body of Christ. It stagnates the love that needs to cascade over the spiritual desert of America. Resentments great and small, offences deep and petty choke the flow. The scriptures instruct us to forbear one another. Forbearance is living in the attitude of forgiveness. It is to exhibit the character of God who is always “Ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm 86:5).

I believe the main reason the church lacks in forgiveness is ignorance. We’d all like to forgive, but we just don’t know how. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). If Christ is in you, (and by faith He is) then you have the love. Knowing how to forgive is to know how to use that love. It is understanding how to get out of God’s way and let Him do what He does best: love and forgive. When the Christians of America get hold of this, there will be a great revival.

I have written a book about this. It is titled, “How Shall We Then Forgive.” Read this book. You will be delighted to find that not only can you forgive but you will experience joy and peace in doing so. You are made for this. You will even come to enjoy it.