Love is Kind: Part 1

We live in a world that has grown increasingly violent. Murder, drive-by-shootings, bombings, and domestic violence have almost become an everyday occurrence. Many people today do not feel safe in their own homes and their own communities. I grew up in a small town where it was common to leave your doors unlocked, even at night. Now those doors are locked and dead-bolted. Even our schools have become battle zones with an increasing number of children bringing guns and weapons to school. Kids are killing kids at an alarming rate. In fact, one of the leading causes of death to males under the age of 21 is other males under the age of 21.

Recently, violence has been elevated to a whole new level with the increase in terrorism. There was a time when “terrorism” was something that happened “over there,” but not any more. The violence of terrorism has been brought home to many countries leaving behind many deaths and massive destruction. Such violence happened in the United States on September 11, 2001, in Spain on March 11, 2004, in Russia on September 1, 2004, and England on July 7, 2005, just to name a few. With each new attack our lives, and our world, is being change forever.

Our world is caught in a cycle of violence; violence begetting violence. “They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.” (Hosea 4:2) We see this not only in the increasing voracity of terrorists, but also in the increasing violence in our schools, cities, and homes. Violence is even being passed from one generation to another. Violent parents producing violent children who eventually become violent parents themselves. Mankind has become enslaved by a sin that they are powerless to escape. We can have peace talks, peace treaties, anger management classes, and counseling, but violence has become a part of our fallen human nature and it will take more than our best efforts to defeat it.

Man’s violence against each other breaks the heart of God and provokes His righteous anger. When God first created man and set him in the garden, He looked over all He had made and pronounced that “it was very good.” (Geneses 1:31) But it didn’t take long for things to go bad. Sin entered God’s creation and man’s hearts began to grow cold. Man became increasingly violent towards each other. God saw and was grieved. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart… Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence… Then God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.’” (Geneses 6:5-6, 11, 13) God was sorry that He had made man. God had created a world that was “very good” but mankind had filled it with violence. Because of their wickedness and their violent ways, God destroyed all of them with a flood, save eight.

Jesus warns us that, in the last days, it would be like in the days of Noah. “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.” (Matthew 24:37) The end times will not only be like those days in regards to the wickedness of men but also in their violence. Jesus warns us that mankind’s wickedness will only increase as that day approaches, and with the increase is wickedness, there will be an increase in hardness of man’s heart. “Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold.” (Matt 24:12)

Hal David and Burt Bacharach wrote a song that said, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” Love is the only antidote for the violence of today. Not a human love, but a love from God expressed through human vessels. This is the kind of love we are called to share with the world. A love that is, among other things, kind.

More to come, David Robison