METAMORA PATTER'S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

THE SUN SHINES ON BOTH GOOD AND EVIL
BY PAT GULLEY

Matt 5:45
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (KJV)

The Bible is true when it says that God is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34-35) After Jesus was raised from the dead, the Gospel message sent from Heaven to earth was the same for every human being. "Unless you receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour, and unless you eat his flesh and drink his blood, you have no life in you." (John 6:53)

When Jesus began His ministry, he told His disciples to only go to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Mt 10:5-7) The message of the Messiah's arrival was to be to the Jew first. After three and one half years Jesus completed His mission having laid down His life for the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. He bore the sins of humanity on the Cross of Calvary and was raised from the dead for the deliverance of the entire Human Race.

After His Resurrection from the dead, he then gave His disciples a new mission. (Mt 28:18) They were now sent into the entire world, not just to the seed of Abraham as at the beginning of His ministry. The love of God is revealed from Heaven in the person of His Son Jesus Christ and that love will be true and potent unto the end of the world.

Do not withhold the message of God's love from any human being. Everyone has a right to know and everyone has a right to either accept or reject this awesome Gift. God's love for the human race does not begin with the birth of His Son. You can see this love in effect throughout the history of mankind. We know it is true for Abraham and his seed; but did you know it is also revealed in the seasons of seedtime and harvest and can be witnessed by all nations?

Jesus told us that the Creator of all humanity always took care of their needs in making the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and in sending rain on the just and the unjust. God also knew that the sin nature in man, as received from Adam, was a form of conviction of their need for a new birth. This was revealed in the cycle of nature and its seasons. There was death of the plants, flowers, and the leaves of the trees in the fall and their miraculous change in the springtime, They saw new life come forth from death, which was a witness to them that God had a plan for them all.

The amazing fact is that not only was the righteousness of God revealed but the wrath of God was also revealed to all humanity. (Rom 1: 17-18) There is a hunger in people's heart for a right relationship with their Creator. The sad thing is that many have learned to override that hidden desire by falling for the lusts of their flesh and believing that their human nature always knows what is best for them. Have you ever heard someone say, "Well, they is just the way I am, deal with it"? That is just a way to justify their sin nature. And yet the Lord still sends His messengers into the world with His message of Love.

There are still people who have a hunger and thirst for righteousness. And they have never heard about God sending His only begotten Son to set them free and to bring them into a right relationship with Himself. Are you the one to tell your friends about Jesus? Do not be afraid or ashamed. For those who believe, they will be very grateful. For those who do not believe, they will at least have had an opportunity to choose life. God is counting on us today. He still loves the world. And so should we. God's love still shines on both the good and the evil.