free to love

Friday February 22^nd, Luke 4:  5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours."  8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" Just think, no war, no famine, we would all get along, dumbly following along like a herd of animals. There would be no free will and no ability to hate. There would also be no ability to love, no ability to hoard and therefore no ability to share.  The cost to Jesus and to humanity would be denying that we are created in God’s image, which is what allows us to love, give, care and be a child of God.  Once again, Jesus turns our heads from our own self destructive desires to the word and world of God and the hope, faith, love and caring it brings into the world.  We were created but a little lower than the angels, free to love because we are free to hate.