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"Yea, I
have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Jeremiah 31:3
Although
people's love, commitments, and interests change over time, we can
be assured that God's love for us is 'everlasting.' His love for you
is an abiding love. By definition, abiding means continuing without
change, enduring, lasting. Regardless of you actions and behavior,
God is committed to your best interests.
It is
because of His great love that He gave His only begotten son to die
on the cross. It was while we were yet sinners that Christ commended
His love toward us. None of us were worthy of His love then, and we
are not worthy of it now. But, God extended His mercy and
forgiveness to us because of His abiding love for His creation.
A father
once overheard one of his sons tell his other son the following:
"You had better be good or daddy won't love you anymore." The Father
corrected this and told his boys that he loved them no matter how
they acted. He told them that when they were good he loved them and
it felt good. But when they were bad, he still loved them but it
hurt.
This is
how God feels about us. His love reaches out to people when they are
good and bad. That doesn't mean God is pleased when people do
bad, but He still loves them. The story of the prodigal son's father
exemplifies this. The young man was at home in the care of a father
that loved him. Due to his own decision, the young man chose to
leave home which in essence was an insult to the father. The young
man fell on hard times and found himself without anything. When he
decided to return home, his father saw him a great way off. He was
received back home with joy and celebration. The father had never
stopped loving his son even though his son was not at home. His love
was abiding and lasting.
God's love
continues to be this way for people today. When people choose to not
serve God, He is waiting in love for them to return home. When we
stay at home in Father's house, we may stumble or fall short of
God's perfection somewhere in life. In those times, we must remember
that God still loves us with an unconditional love. He is not there
to cut us off at any little mistake, but rather, He is there to help
us get up and be restored.
The
scripture in Romans 8 asks the question, "Who shall separate us from
the love of God?" There is no circumstance, situation, or person
that can separate from God's love. For God's love is abiding -
lasting, enduring, and continuing without change.
-Bro. Michael Smith |
