God is Good

Did God say in 1 John 4:19 that he loves us because we first loved him?  No! We love him because he first loved us. 'God so loved that he gave'. God is the giver of all givers. Every human being that has ever lived has been loved by God! (John 3:16). That is grace. Every human being also has had the free-will choice to love him back.  God is all good, there is no darkness in him at all. He is not the cause of all misfortune and problems in the world. That is the devil's work.

The adversary has assumed authority over people in this world (since Genesis 3) and he is the author of misery and pain. Adam and Eve opened the door for him to usurp authority from God.  God never cursed Adam and Eve over this, he just explained what would come as a result of listening and heeding to the wrong spirit. Things became more difficult because the devil was given a place in their world. God was not to blame for any of the consequences that resulted from having the devil take over.

The devil is not some horned red guy with a pitch fork. He is a fallen spirit being. His doctrines and influences are carried by words and thoughts. Sometimes he deceives with what sounds like lovely words at times; things that hit right to the heart of an unsuspecting victim. Deception is part of his programming. We should be vigilant in relying on our spiritual radar from God to discriminate between what is light and darkness. This is especially true when we come across the many memes and quotes on the internet that are virally moving through the various platforms of social media at top speed. I have to admit, I sometimes get taken in by some seemingly inspiring wisdom only later to honestly think about it to find it really wasn't godly.

At other times the devil pushes events of fear and chaos that are blatantly visible as his work.  Fear is coupled with chaos to cast to deflect blame. Blame is a top tier tool of the adversary. All the evil and dark things that have happened throughout history are not done by God. It may seem to look like that when one reads the Old Testament, but God does not steal, kill or destroy. The Old Testament believers didn't fully get who the devil was.  In John 10:10 in the New Testament God sent his son to reveal the adversary. The devil is openly visible in the New Testament and his actions are on a list of seven things (Rms 1:13,11;25, I Cor 10:1,12:1, 2 Cor 1:8,2:11, I Thess 14:13) in the word that God does not want us to be ignorant about.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. I John 3:

God wants us to life a great life. He helps us navigate this world through the good and the bad. Everyday we are confronted with both. Somethings we may have to step through, step around or jump over, but He has given us plenty of resources for that in His Word through holy spirit and Jesus Christ.  God is a gracious God. His grace has been available to all.  We love him because of that and however imperfect we are, we have the joy of knowing he loves us. We can lovingly respond by heeding his Word and being thankful for all he has done for our lives. It is pure joy to use all the resources he has given us to really walk in his grace.