“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (I John 2:1-2 NIV)
As one who has traveled to several parts of the world and interacted with people from different countries and cultures, it is easy to gauge how isolated Americans often are and how disinterested they are about the rest of the world. When I talk with international people, I am always amazed at how familiar they are with what is happening in the world, particularly in the United States. However, Americans, honestly, often couldn’t care less. We tend to be very self-absorbed and turn a blind eye to the rest of the world.
There are a number of reasons for this. We are a large nation with only two bordering countries. We have been the big actor on the world stage for generations and, as with big celebrities, that tends to promote a big ego. And most of the world seeks to imitate us. They adore our fashion, our movies, and most speak our language. So, there is not much incentive for us to really give much attention to the rest of the world when the attention is on us.
Except if we are followers of Jesus. John tells us that Jesus not only died to atone for your sins and my sins, but for the sins of the whole world. If we follow Jesus and His attention and love are not confined to just us, then neither can our attention remain solely on our lives and ourselves. We must care about the world and the people in it.
Today, recognize how big God’s love is; it encompasses the entire world. If it is that big, then you have no choice as one who loves Him to become more concerned about people from other nations. Jesus’ sacrifice was just as much for them as it was for you.
© Jim Musser 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment