“And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Matthew 24:10-12

Over the summer, like many of you, my wife and I were able to get away for a few days of vacation. Now when we do that, we usually get a chance to see some things we normally don’t see and be around some things we’re not accustomed to in our day-to-day living. Over the years I’ve found that can be a really good thing, or it can go sideways quickly. Either way though, these experiences can serve as an opportunity to open our eyes a little wider to some of the things that we need to see.

Now, it seems that the last few times we have gotten away, I’ve noticed a trend among people. Since 2020, it seems that we’ve either become, or at least shown, more self-centeredness than I ever noticed before. Whether it’s fast-food lines or driving in traffic, you get the sense that people have lost all (or most) restraint and are focused primarily on self-survival. It’s a “what are you trying to take away from me” distrustful vibe that emanates from people.

Almost everyone is defensive, and some are so fearful and selfish that they’ve become aggressively offensive. It is definitely the case that people in our society today are less civil, less hospitable, and more cynical of others than they were just five years ago. All these combined make human beings that much less likable than ever before. Is it a sign of the times? Matthew 24 would seem to indicate as much.

What does this state of human interaction add up to? Well, we’ve created an atmosphere that’s made it difficult for humanity to see a reason to love each other. It’s sad, but many people’s hearts have turned cold. What’s the solution? For believers, we must remind ourselves of the foundational truth declared in John 3:16—that our Father loves people. I don’t understand it and may never understand it completely in this life, but God loves humanity, all of them, good and bad.

In Romans 5:6-11 we read how God’s love was demonstrated before we even came close to demonstrating our love toward Him. In Matthew 5:43-48, we read of how He blesses both the “evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” He blesses all. Why? Because He loves all. It’s mind-boggling.

So, God loves every human despite their failings. That’s such good news for you and me. How so? Because if He loves all despite their failings, that means He loves us even when we aren’t being the best of what we can be. I know religion has taught us otherwise, but sometimes our “religion” is based on our ideas of what is right and wrong and not on Scripture.

God loves us all in spite of our behavior (I’m not saying He loves the bad behavior, but He does love us). Again, this just doesn’t make sense to me, but it doesn’t have to; God has much more sense than me.

With all this said, how should we react to this knowledge of God’s love for every person on this planet?

First, it should give us a better valuation of ourselves. We are worth a lot, each of us, because God values us tremendously.

Secondly, it should help us to properly evaluate others. It should remind us to treat everyone equally well, whether they are rich or poor, black or white (or any other color), of our same value systems or culture or not.

Brothers and sisters, God loves people and that love is in us as well. We can and should love people. Let’s always be mindful of the encouragement of I John 4:7: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”

Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.