The Tribune

By Rev Angela C Bosfield Palacious

Have you heard of a deal that seemed too good to be true? What is the worst experience that you can recall of something being too good to be true after all?

The love of God seems that way to too many people. The free gift of grace, of forgiveness, and eternal life seems too good to be true. To believe that God loves them is more than they can take in.

This is where we come in the picture. We explain what we believe and then share what we have experienced. Just like Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch:

"Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. 'Do you understand what you are reading?' Philip asked. 'How can I,' he said, 'unless someone explains it to me?' So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him…The eunuch asked Philip, 'Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?' Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptised?' And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him." (Acts 8:30-38 NIV).

Are you willing to do this every day if you can?

This is what it means to bear fruit for the Lord. We quietly, gently and enthusiastically approach and share the love of God that may seem too good to be true but is very true indeed. This is the love of God overflowing in us to others, made possible by our relationship with Jesus Christ, the Vine:

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (John 15: 5-8 NIV).

What kind of fruit are we bearing?

This sap is the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the love of God flowing in and through us. Because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and we believe this, then we can find our way, guided solid teaching and living an abundant life. We explain our faith, hope and feeling of being loved by the word of God and our personal experience.

1 John 4:7-21NIV explains God loved and I quote excerpts from this passage for your reflection, prayer and sharing: "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God…This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."

We have been called to a life of love. This love is with us through life, through death and through eternity. It may seem too good to be true, but Christ's suffering, resurrection and ascension are very real and very true. Let us love God, others and ourselves in order to model what it means to know that it is true.