He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 1 John 4:8.
“God is love.” His nature, His law, is love. It ever has been; it ever will be….
Every manifestation of creative power is an expression of infinite love.
It is through His power that summer and winter, seedtime and harvest, day and night, follow each other in their regular succession. It is by His word that vegetation flourishes, that leaves appear, and the flowers bloom. Every good thing we have, each ray of sunshine and shower of rain, every morsel of food, every moment of life, is a gift of love.
The history of the great conflict between good and evil, from the time it first began in heaven to the final overthrow of rebellion and the total eradication of sin, is also a demonstration of God’s unchanging love.
The gift of Christ reveals the Father’s heart.
God made to our world the wonderful gift of His only-begotten Son. In the light of this act, it could never be said by the inhabitants of other worlds that God could have done more than He did to show His love for the children of men. He made a sacrifice that defies all computation.
Thousands have a false conception of God and His attributes. They are as verily serving a false god as were the servants of Baal. Are we worshiping the true God as He is revealed in His Word, in Christ, in nature, or are we adoring some philosophical idol enshrined in His place? God is a God of truth. Justice and mercy are the attributes of His throne. He is a God of love, of pity and tender compassion. Thus He is represented in His Son, our Saviour. He is a God of patience and long-suffering. If such is the being whom we adore and to whose character we are seeking to assimilate, we are worshiping the true God.
The Faith I Live By p. 69
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Prayer Requests
—–Prayers for my youngest daughter, Ariana Joy. She is having a lot of problems, physical as well as mental. She has been so paranoid and under attack from satan. Rene
—–Please pray for Tom & his wife Peggy – he is back in the nursing home after the hospital sent him back due to so much flu & pneumonia at the hospital. He is in a coma & his family (& he) wants to go “home”, but his body is hanging on. His wife has dementia so prayers for her as well. Rene
—–Eileen had a procedure done on her back yesterday. Please pray that it works so that she doesn’t need another surgery. Rose
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Dear Friends,
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 It is probably the most familiar verse in the Bible, one that most people know by heart, but one that we seem to repeat without thinking to much about how good God is. Think of it. He has provided His Greatest Gift, the gift of His only Son. Paul exclaims, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” Rom 11:33
During those thirty-three years His Dear Son was upon this earth, God was tenderly watching, feeling every hurt, every disappointment, every care. Three times the Great Sovereign of the Universe spoke audibly to mortal man. At Jesus’ baptism He announced, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matt 3:17 Again on the Mount of Transfiguration He declared, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him.” 17:5 Near the end of Jesus’ earthly life, He again spoke. When Jesus told the people, “Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” John 12:27,28 What a privilege the disciples had hearing the very Voice of the Great King of the Universe! Yet it was but a foretaste of the time when we will not only hear His voice but see Him face to face!
In the Garden of Gethsemane, our Dear Saviour began to feel, stronger than He had ever felt before, the weight of the sins of the whole world being placed upon His shoulders. As our sins threatened to crush out His very life, Jesus committed His will to His Father. God answered by sending an angel to strengthen Him to endure His Great Sacrifice. Then, He withdrew His presence and allowed Jesus to go through the awful sense of separation from God. That separation was far worse than physical pain. It was a difficult time for Jesus: it was equally difficult for the Father. Think of the heart-wrenching agony God the Father felt as Jesus was upon the cross. The pain that pierced His Great Heart of Love is beyond our comprehension. Yet He willingly sacrificed His Dearest Treasure in order that we may be saved. What wondrous love!
Yet how rarely we think of His Great Sacrifice. How many times we turn away from spiritual things and allow our mind to dwell upon the fleeting pleasures of this world. How easy it is for us to get so busy that we hardly have a thought Heavenward. How often we become so self-centered that our needs, our desires, our momentary happiness is all that matters to us. How that must hurt our Loving Redeemer Who longs for close fellowship with us. He Who has given His life for us desires above all else to spend every moment right beside us, communing with us, leading, guiding us, giving us a peace that passes all understanding.
May we respond to His great love by giving to Him our whole heart, our entire life, our thoughts, our words, our everything. May we daily claim His assuring promise, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Heb 13:5 May we reach out and take His Hand as would a little child and let Him guide us to Himself for He calls, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Rev 3:20,21
Rose