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How great is the love that the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called the children of God. [1 John 3:1] And His love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit that we may reign in life here on earth, even in troubling situations that could tempt us to take it out on others, who are innocent, and definitely do not deserve to be the subjects of our ire! And it is the counsel of God in the words of the apostle James, that has been the theme of our meditation, so that in studying it in all its depth our lives may be transformed to be a testimony of the outworking of the amazing grace of God. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door. [James 5:9] And the commandments of God are never burdensome, for God has provided all that you need for life and godliness. It involves an inner transformation that happens in you, as you become partakers of His divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. [2 Peter 1:5-7]
And above all, LOVE:
The culmination of it all is love, that makes the seemingly impossible, possible, and what is difficult, simple. And the apostle Paul has described its timeless nature in his beautiful and brilliant discourse in his letter to the Corinthian church. [1 Corinthians 13:1-13] The glorious climax to it is – So no faith, hope and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love. [1 Corinthians 13:13] In fact faith can work only if you know the love of God. And hope finds its rest in the love of God. Love remains, and never ends, though everything else, prophecies, tongues and knowledge, will one day come to an end, or pass away. [vs 8] For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son.. is the essence of the gospel. And it stresses so powerfully the extent of God’s love towards all of humanity, how preciously valuable it is, a love that can never be quenched, as the song of Solomon so wondrously expresses it to be – Many waters cannot quench love; neither can floods drown it, [Song of Songs 8:7] whether you can feel it or not.
LOVE, undiminished and unchanging:
His love is always to the fullest, and never diminishes. It is His will that He may love you, His pledge or promise, that He will in His love, never leave you or forsake you. His love is His pledge to you forever, a love that is always a hundred percent. And whether you feel loved or not becomes a moot point, that does not enter into the picture at all. It is always a done deal. And it is also what needs to be the willing commitment to each other in love, trust and loyalty that needs to be in a couple who are united in holy matrimony. A christian marriage may have its problems in this fallen world that is steeped in sin, but it is knowing the truth that sets you free, to live in harmony with God and with each other, that you may not be disobedient to the heavenly vision. You can enjoy the manifold blessing of God, and walk into a future and a hope knowing that your times are in His hands. What will remain forever is love. And it is by holding on to it that you will stand in the challenges of life. But sadly, the permanency of love is what is doubted in a marriage, for the pattern of the world these days is to enter into a prenuptial agreement, before you enter into a marriage relationship! It is definitely not the love envisioned in the heart of the God who is love.
LOVE that outlasts failure:
Faith can work only if you know the love of God. And in the pressured circumstances that you encounter, love may not win everyday, but it remains until you win one day. Take heart, therefore, for even though you may have lost some battles, you will win the war, for, you are being led in a triumphal procession in Christ. Failure in love that is of God, is never the last word, for love never fails! It outlasts failure, and never ends. It flows on undiminished even on encountering setbacks, as the apostle Paul testifies to the Galatian church, whom he loved with an unchanging love without giving up on it, though he was deeply troubled at how they had embarked on an apparent detour from the pure gospel of Christ, that needed nothing to be added to it. [Galatians 4:19] And how comforting it can be even to you and I, for in our spiritual life we have so often fallen, failed in our walk with God. But His love remains unchanged, and makes you rise up to continue once again in the path that He has prepared for you. For His love never fades, never gives up. And when His love remains it will surely sustain you, when problems seem to rise up, time and time again. For, even as He Himself has declared, love keeps no record of wrongs. Therefore, though life may find you becoming unstable or weary, His love will uphold you, to carry you through in loving care.
LOVE, as Christ loved the church:
And it is only after experiencing His love, that you will be in a position to love others, even the people who seem to be undeserving of it. On the contrary, they could even be rightfully inviting your irritated grumbling, by their conduct and behavior. It could be especially relevant in the close relationships within your family, to then involve a display of your love that bears, a love that is patient. A simple maxim in such challenging times, would be to treat others as God treats you, in all your weaknesses. For, it is so very true that you and I like to receive from God, but find it reluctant to give the same to others. Or, you may be able to gratefully and easily receive from God, His steadfast love and kindness, but have difficulty in showing it to others, whether they are worthy of it or not, becoming then, a secondary issue. But, Christ shows you the way, in how He loved, and continues to love the church, with all its faults and imperfections. Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. [Ephesians 5:25] You and I are the church, and none of us are perfect and without fault. Yet, His love remains that He may sanctify her, that He may cleanse her by the washing of water of His word, that He may present the church to Himself, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, that she may be holy and without blemish. [vs 26,27]
God perseveres out of sheer love that remains unchanged. His love is permanent. And He is in you, giving you the grace to make your love remain, even though it may appear seemingly not possible at all when you consider the tough task that you face. But, He who has begun the good work in you will carry it on to completion, and your love will indeed remain, until the day of Christ Jesus. The Lord Himself is able to keep you from falling, or failing , to present you blameless in the sight of God is the promise of God that is yes and Amen in Christ. And it is a process that He works out in joy,which is the same attitude that needs to be even in you for your love to persevere joyfully and not lead to compassion fatigue. For it is what can naturally happen sometimes, even in the lives of loving care givers. What is not possible through human will and self effort becomes possible as you lean on His faithfulness, to be led to fruitfulness. It is His faithfulness that makes you last, and not give up, even in very challenging situations.
LOVE, the foundation of spiritual success:
Thus in order to spiritually succeed in the challenges you face, however daunting they may appear, love is always the foundation, for love outlasts failure. Your setbacks may weaken you, but not Him; therefore all you need to do is to lean on God, depending on His grace that will take you from here you are to here God wants you to be. It is His love that will sustain you, even in situations that seem to be distressingly long, giving you patience and the divine strength to withstand the pressure of it all that you may stand and stand upright, for love outlasts failure. It can be seen in the words of the Savior unto the Father, about His finished work of the Cross, that was all out of love, not mere duty. [John 17:4] It was in love that He endured the Cross, for the joy set before Him. And this day may your heart be filled with the love of Christ, that you may say like Paul, ‘the love of Christ compels and constrains us’. [2 Corinthians 5:14] May it take center stage, by ruling in you, to be the first and the last word in everything that you undertake and accomplish here on earth, even what involves immense suffering and pain. For you have a faithful God who loves you, whose love never falters or fails.
LOVE, that remains:
One only has to visualize the parable of the prodigal son, in order to grasp the truth of it. [Luke 15:11-24] And you and I have so often drifted away from our closeness with God, even as the prodigal son did. But he came back to his senses! It is the good news, even as it speaks into your heart and mine, to make us return to Him. And the wondrous aspect of it all is that the Father’s love remained. He was in the same place, unchanged in His love when the son returned. It is the love of God that accepts you even today, with no condemnation. But it should not lead to an abuse of the grace of God that had led you to repentance and restoration of the Father’s love is also a very vital factor that one ought to bear in mind while reveling in His unending love and amazing grace.
LOVE that restores:
And what better picture of the Lord’s love and restoration to the one who came to his senses in bitter agony can there be than that of the apostle Peter! To the Lord’s repeated enquiry about his love for Him, all Peter could finally say was, ‘Lord, you know’. Yes, even with us, it is the Lord who alone knows the nature of our love for Him. And Christ confirmed Peter’s love for Him in entrusting him with the responsibility, saying, ‘Feed My sheep’.
Shepherding in love!
And what does a shepherd do for his sheep? He leads, he feeds, he takes care of their needs, he forgives their misdeeds, and causes them to succeed! You are a shepherd to your family, and it is only as the love of Christ compels you that you can do all the above. He will grant you patience, as the love of Christ sustains you, giving you divine strength in impossible situations, even as the apostle Paul lists all that he and his fellow workers underwent, weathering unimaginable difficulties, with patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit and genuine love. [2 Corinthians 6:4-6] You too, will indeed know, that all the suffering that you could now be undergoing, is not permanent, but love is. And you will be sustained by it to overcome, as the joy of the Lord becomes your strength. All else will pass, but His love will remain to make you rise up to stand, and stand upright wit good cheer and without grumbling. Joy will come in the morning! For, love never fails. May your heart be filled with the love of Christ to know its richness, its length, breadth, height and width, overflowing with its fullness to drive away all gloom and weariness,all by His amazing grace. May it lead you to rise up and stand, weak knees strengthened, to stand upright in the power of His love, with a face that is radiant. For love never fails. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
