"Welcome"

The Good Book says our welcome,

Is something we should give,

In the name of Jesus,

To people where we live.

And when the Good Lord sends ‘em,

We show to them His love,

The same He freely gave to us,

When push came hard to shove.

And He loved with generosity,

And didn’t hold it back,

In spite of all our sinfulness,

And all we clearly lack.

Loved just like He meant it,

And because His love is real,

Something that’s so powerful,

There’s no doubt that you feel,

And if we turn around and say,

That those people don’t deserve,

The love God says He’ll give ‘em,

We’d best not have the nerve,

To tell that stuff to Jesus,

The friend of sinners, He,

Came for all the sick ones,

To set the captives free.

And if we say we love Him,

But not who He died to save,

How can we withhold from them,

What He so freely gave.

Yes, freely we receive it,

And freely we must give,

It’s the secret of salvation,

And abundant life we live.

“Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.” (1 John 4:11, NLT)

Sounds good, doesn’t it, and we know it’s right to love others. But when it comes down to it, it’s not always the easiest thing to do. Why? Because people can be so unlovable. But that’s just the point, isn’t it? God loves us unconditionally, and when we respond to it and receive it, He changes our ability to love others. We give compassion to people that we weren’t able to love before because He empowers us. He actually loves through us if we’re willing to get out of the way. There’s something deeply wrong when we insist on receiving but not giving away. In fact, it shows that we really haven’t received after all.

Lord, show Your love through us, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Jamie Means, used by permission. Thanks, Jamie, and God bless you.