The Heart of the Father

John is known to have the love of God and someone who passionately believed in the importance of loving God and loving others. He wrote 5 books of the New Testament and he talks a lot about love in his books. He was called the apostle of love.

It would be nice if we could also be recognized as loving people, like the sons and daughters of the loving Father. Is it easy to always love people? Oh no! We all have people around us who are hard to love because we don’t like their actions, because they have hurt us with their words or their gestures, etc. But what does the Father expect from us? He expects us to love everyone. Oh! Not easy, but doable if you learn to love with the help of the Father. When you don’t love someone, it creates discomfort in our hearts and around us. It shows in the way we speak and act. It is not pleasant for us or for others. If there are people in your life that you don’t like, and with whom you’re in a squabble, you have the opportunity this morning to live in peace again in your heart. Will the situation change in an instant? No, but your attitude and your heart can change in an instant. And the Father will help you find a way to re-establish the broken relationship between you and the person.

The Bible calls us to live in peace with all men. Does that mean that we have to be friends with everyone? No, it means that in our hearts, we have to love people and be at peace with them.

Prayer

“Father, you see what I’m going through right now, you see that there’s this person I’m struggling to love and you know why I don’t love him. Father, I ask forgiveness for all the evil thoughts I have in my heart towards them and for all the wicked words I have said about them. I’m sorry.

I ask you to give me love for them, show me how to love them with your heart. Thank you because you help me and because you do not abandon me, and because you will give me the wisdom to behave well towards this person from now on. Amen.”

Application

Let us ask the Father if there are people we do not like.

Invite the children to find a quiet place in the classroom where they can focus on God and reflect on their lives.

Are there people you don’t like around you? People you’d never want to see again because they either hurt you or hurt a family member? You have the opportunity this morning to get rid of this anger and hatred towards this person. Make yourself a gift by choosing to forgive and begin to love the person.