God’s
wrath has its flipside – restoration. What one
quality above all others do you think God wants restored in the
nation, church, or individual who worships him? How could you and
your group model that quality? (Serendipity Bible 10th
Anniversary Edition, page 1311).
As
God is love, He would most want to see the disciplines of love come
to actively anchor our lives individually and as a community of
nations. If we did so it would have pervasive profound positive
effects starting with the family unit and extending to all other
institutions. If we could only see with heaven’s eyes, our world
would change dramatically and progress exponentially in wide
spectrum’s of abundance leading to man’s will on earth becoming
increasingly resonate with that of God’s in heaven. The flipside of
this abundance is self-inflicted scarcity brought on by arrogance and
blindness passionately pursued though idolatry and self-worship. By
actually doing God’s will there would be significant structural and
atmospheric changes in the way we live our lives individually and
socially.
What exactly would this look like? Let us refer to Micah
6:8 (NIV): ”He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does
the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk
humbly (prudently) with your God.” Or by the statement of Jesus
that encompasses the Golden Rule: Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV): “Teacher,
which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest
commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments.” So the restored world will be more loving, merciful,
and just. It will be characterized by empathy and the Golden Rule.
It will be enriched by the Fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23
(NIV): “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control. Against such things there is no law.” In short, the
world will be a lot less mean and embody kindness markedly more—not
only in human affairs, but as man relates to all aspects of the
natural and material worlds. To get there will be a journey—a road
traveled and sustained by countless millions in spiritual and
intellectual accord and filled with commitment and faith.
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