The fourth Advent Candle symbolizes LOVE -
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him may not perish, but have everlasting life" ~John 3:16
We light the fourth candle to symbolize the love God has shown us by sending his only son to save us from our sins.
God made the ultimate sacrifice by sending Jesus to Earth to die for us. God knows that we are human, and we are a sinful people. But Jesus paid the price for our sins. He died so that we may live with him in heaven. Advent is the time where we prepare to welcome this love into our hearts. Christ wants us to share this love with the world, to love the world as God has loved us!
But of course, that is easier said that done. In fact, "I Love You" are three of the five easiest words in the English language (I'm Sorry are the other two...there maybe a post on that later). And its easy to love someone when they are lovable. But the love Christ talks about is unconditional love, loving others when they are the most unlovable. I am sure we all have someone in our lives, a coworker, neighbor, church member, or even family member that we cringe when we see them. They get on our nerves, always talking about themselves, maybe having one too many problems for us to listen to. These are the type of people Christ wants us to love. And not the mushy love either, but the real, true, deep down love of Christ. We can show this love in many ways: a kind word, a note, a helping hand, or even a simple smile.
So I have challenged myself (because there are more than a few people I find hard to love...) to make a conscious effort this Advent season to spread Christ's love to others, especially the unlovable. It will be a work in progress because I am human, but that is why Christ was sent to Earth over 2000 years ago, and the reason we celebrate Christmas today <3
No comments:
Post a Comment