What's Love Got To Do with Unrest in America?

1 John 4:7-11 
⁷Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

What does love have to do with the unrest we see happening in our country?

Some of you probably remember a hit song by Tina Turner back in the day called “What’s Love Got to do With it? The title, not the song is what came to my mind as I pondered all of what’s been happening the past couple of weeks. It also made me think about the question: What is LOVE? Ironically it is also a song from back in the day:)

What does love have to do with the unrest in America and the protest all across the nation?

I think it’s fair to say we’ve all had some strong emotions about what’s happened in our country this past week. In my home, we’ve had some difficult conversations with our kids about the subject of race and what’s been happening in our country. You can read last week’s post on my response on the subject of race here: https://speakingtruthinlov.com/not-the-end-of-the-story/

Even watching some videos that were sent to me via messenger, has made me ponder and process what’s happening and how I should respond as a Christ-follower.

Friends, the pandemic that has existed since time began is SIN specifically HATE

One of the things I’ve noticed and I know you have as well is that there is A LOT of anger on all sides: black, white, political, socioeconomic, authorities, etc. That anger (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing) has erupted and morphed into something very dangerous. Jesus Himself got angry, but He didn’t kill or hurt anybody or steal from anyone!

Judging from the looks of things we’re in another global pandemic of a different sort. How you may ask? Well, the word “pandemic” means something occurring over a wide geographic area, or an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population.

Friends, the pandemic that has existed since time began is SIN specifically HATE which John tells us in 1 John 3:15 is likened to “murder”. 1 John 3:15 says Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Hate or simply put SIN is an OUTBREAK OF A DISEASE that has affected all of humanity in a WHOLE geographic area called THE WORLD. What’s the solution? LOVE.

What is Love?

Love is God. 1 John 4:8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love
Love is an action more so than an emotion. Every time you see the word love in scripture it’s followed by some type of action. 1 John 4:9-10; John 3:16. You can’t say you love someone and then not act on that love. God so loved the world. And how did he show that love? He gave His only Son for us. (it doesn’t say he felt like giving His only Son). Everything God does is out of His love for us.
Love is a choice that leads to life, hate is a choice that leads to death. (Deuteronomy 30:19; 1 John 3:14)

What’s Love Got To Do with Unrest in America? EVERYTHING.

5 REASONS
LOVE HAS TO DO WITH WHAT WE’RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW

When we love others, including enemies, we’re fulfilling God’s commandment. (Matthew 5:43-48; 1 John 3:23; 1 John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also)
It covers a multitude of sins. If they didn’t we would still be dead in our sins. (1 Peter 4:8; 1 Corinthians 15:16-18; John 3:16)
It’s vital to our faith walk. If you don’t love, whether it’s a brother in Christ or an unbeliever, you’re not a child of God. (1 John 3:10-11; Matthew 5:44-46)
Love and forgiveness go hand in hand. It cannot have one without the other. You can’t love and not forgive. You can’t forgive and not love. (Proverbs 17:9; Colossians 3:12-14; Luke 6:35-36)
If for no other reason, the reason why we can love in the midst of what we are going through is that Christ first loved us. (1 John 4:10-11; 19)