Contagious
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us." – 1 John 4:10-12
Years ago, I was selected to participate in the Kairos Prison Ministry program. There were forty-two men who were selected that were greeted at the chapel door by our smiling mentor. Each mentor’s goal for the four day “walk” was to be the personification of Christ's love to their specific participant. They carefully listened, answered every question, served every meal, and became the friend we needed. They prayed for each participant every morning and night and pledged to continue to pray for and to correspond with them for at least one year after the program. It did not matter what the offender had done, what they looked like, or how they behaved. They received unconditional love. Each volunteer was required to pay for their lodging, for food to feed every participant, and for the supplies required to carry out the walk. I could not understand why anyone would want to dedicate their entire weekend to show me love, much less pay for the privilege.
After the walk, I understood. In addition to the love and prayers of my mentor, I received a bag full of letters from the outside team and Christians throughout the world who addressed me by name, told me that God loved me and that they were praying for me. In fact, hundreds of people from around the world had committed to continual, hour-by-hour prayer for the Kairos Walk. The volunteers carried in a paper prayer chain that circled the room three times over. Each meal had hand-drawn place mats from Sunday school children and the walls were filled with "agape" messages of encouragement from Christians worldwide. Each of these manifestations of love worked to break down walls built by a lifetime of pain. My life was transformed, and I could not wait to share this with others.
Christ's love worked miracles. I witnessed the most hardened criminals and confirmed gang members break down crying. Participants not only repented of their criminal behavior and pledged to leave their gangs, but they followed through on them. Jesus' love was shared freely, and lives were changed. Today, I am still in touch with my Kairos brothers and sisters and can testify that many of those who were saved during the weekend went on to prison ministry upon their release. They received love and could not help but pass it on.
Almost all of us have been broken at one time or another. We have felt hopeless, worthless, like failures, and have believed that no one could truly love us. Then we felt God's love for the first time. It is amazing to know that God loves us in spite of what we have done. Today's text says that Jesus is the propitiation or complete payment and covering of our sins. He has forgiven us and no longer remembers our past failures (Isaiah 43:25). When we are in Christ, He loves us no matter what we have done! Once we truly understand and believe this, our lives cannot ever be the same.
The apostle John stated that God is love (1 John 4:8), and when we love others, God dwells in us. Love is beyond our understanding and reveals our true identity. Jesus said that the world will know that we are His followers by the love that we have for each other. When God's love fills us, we cannot help but let it overflow to impact others. We become contagious!
Think about a virus. Once it infects a host, it reproduces. Anyone who is exposed to the infected person is at great risk of becoming infected themselves. One virus spread worldwide within a few days. How much greater impact can God's love have when it is set loose upon this world? Today, ask God to open your eyes to see each person you encounter just as God views them. Then let your love flow with a kind word or an act of charity. Love is infectious, and we are to be contagious!
