God’s Love—Timeless, Trustworthy, and True (June 28, 2023)
Recognizing that life is a sequence of emotional highs
and lows, we must seek to maintain an even keel. We are all subject to mood
swings that are often tied to our shifting circumstances. There are times when
we feel underappreciated, misunderstood, and unloved by those who are closest
to us. Feelings can be fickle and are not a sturdy foundation upon which to
base our lives and important decisions. Living in a world in emotional flux, we
can depend on an unchanging God whose love is timeless, trustworthy, and true! “God
is love.” (1 John 4:8)
God’s love for us far exceeds human understanding,
but is nonetheless real and reflected daily by the countless ways we are
blessed as objects of His divine affection. In a dynamic culture where nothing
stays the same, the love of God is the one constant on which we can always
count! The Bible is full of affirmations of this unconditional, sacrificial love
for you and me. First, God’s love for us is tested and timeless! “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with
lovingkindness I have drawn you.” (Jeremiah 31:3)
Scripture tells us that we were uniquely, fearfully,
and magnificently crafted by God in His own image so that we can enjoy
fellowship and communion with our awe-inspiring Creator. Secondly, God’s love
for us is tenacious and trustworthy! “For I am persuaded that
neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things
present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other
created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
Thirdly, God’s love is tender and
true! It flows freely from the heart of a heavenly Father who gave His Son to
die so we could live forever as His children and heirs. The highest expression of
this unfathomable love is Christ’s willing sacrifice to pay the price and
penalty for our sins. “In this the love of God
was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the
world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not
that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (atonement) for our sins.”
(1 John 4:9-10)
Let’s open our hearts to God’s
timeless, trustworthy, true love for all of humanity, and seek to share it with
others. “And though I have all faith, so that I
could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing…Love suffers long and is kind; love does
not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave
rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no
evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears
all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love
never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:2,
4-6)
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