What do you think of when you hear the word ‘LOVE’? It is a word that stirs countless thoughts and feelings. Sadly, not all of them are good. In its purest form it is one of the greatest characteristics of God. Only in Him can we see and experience true love. So, how has it gotten so distorted? The answer is easy: Satan. He has done what he does best; take what is good and twist it into something that is ugly, hurtful, and evil. He causes confusion within the world about the true meaning of love. The more confused we get, the more we search for it. The problem is that many practice the words of an old 70’s song and look for love in all the wrong places. A search on Google for ‘love’ shows how crazy the counterfeit meaning of love has become. It produced 730,000,000 hits. Amazing! Wonder how long it would take to get through all of those sites! You can see images of love, articles on love, videos of love, love quotes, love poems, love letters, love horoscopes, love tests, love lyrics, love definitions, love advice, love images, love match making, etc.
I was blessed to meet a wonderful young man that I fell in love with and married. Marriage and learning to silence my selfish flesh has taught me how wonderful love can be. However, 26 years ago (almost to the exact minute I am writing this devotion) I began to be consumed with the purest love I have ever been able to give to another person. It happened the moment I became a mother. My son Bryce is over a quarter of a century old today. Though my love for my children has not been perfect, nothing else taught me more about God’s love for His children. If I could possess such an unconditional and sacrificial love, how much more could my perfect Heavenly Father love‽ No matter how much I love as a parent, He loves more. His love is perfect, it is unconditional, it is mighty, it is never changing, it is sacrificial, it is giving, and it is the core of His character. Everything I did as a mother was rooted in love, even when I disciplined or gave harsh instruction. Likewise, everything that happens to us as His children has been filtered through his fingers of love, even if it is discipline, trials and testing, or harsh instructions.
God is Love. We cannot know true, pure, and unconditional love apart from Him. Let this week’s celebration of love, Valentine’s Day, be a time to reflect on the love the Heavenly Father has for you! Trust His love for you and rest in it. Let it comfort you, heal you, give you peace and joy.
I was blessed to meet a wonderful young man that I fell in love with and married. Marriage and learning to silence my selfish flesh has taught me how wonderful love can be. However, 26 years ago (almost to the exact minute I am writing this devotion) I began to be consumed with the purest love I have ever been able to give to another person. It happened the moment I became a mother. My son Bryce is over a quarter of a century old today. Though my love for my children has not been perfect, nothing else taught me more about God’s love for His children. If I could possess such an unconditional and sacrificial love, how much more could my perfect Heavenly Father love‽ No matter how much I love as a parent, He loves more. His love is perfect, it is unconditional, it is mighty, it is never changing, it is sacrificial, it is giving, and it is the core of His character. Everything I did as a mother was rooted in love, even when I disciplined or gave harsh instruction. Likewise, everything that happens to us as His children has been filtered through his fingers of love, even if it is discipline, trials and testing, or harsh instructions.
God is Love. We cannot know true, pure, and unconditional love apart from Him. Let this week’s celebration of love, Valentine’s Day, be a time to reflect on the love the Heavenly Father has for you! Trust His love for you and rest in it. Let it comfort you, heal you, give you peace and joy.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us; that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
1 John 3:1
PS Happy Birthday Bryce!
1 comment:
When I think of how much I love my family, friends, husband and pets I know that God's love exceeds that by so much and that makes my heart swell with happiness!
I do not know what it is like to love my child as I do not have children yet. I do know that I already love them and would do anything for them even though they don't exist yet!! :-)
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