LOOKING TO THE CROSS TO FIND TRUE LOVE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. 1 John 3:16

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today is Valentine’s Day, the one day out of the year (minus wedding anniversaries) where we celebrate our love for others. There will be many expressions of love exchanged this day like flowers, candies, and jewelry. Many couples will flock to nice restaurants for romantic meals together sometimes accented by candlelight.

Yes, love is in the air and yet I wonder if we’re celebrating true love. This thought was prompted by a post someone sent last night.

The person posting had just attended an Ash Wednesday service, a solemn service meant to acknowledge that it was our sins that led Jesus to be crucified and cause us to see that short of God’s grace, all are worthy of death and dust and the grave. An ashen cross is typically applied to the forehead during this service to remind one that it was the cross that rescued him or her from the dust of death as new life is breathed into us through the resurrection of Jesus and the grace and forgiveness of the Father.

After Ash Wednesday, the days leading up to Easter, a time called Lent, are intended to be a time of reflection, a time when we consider our wrongs and seek to repent, turning anew toward righteousness and seeking to improve in our Christian walk. At times, this reflection may involve fasting.  

Given all this, the person writing was unsure how to respond to Valentine’s Day and all the revelry when they had just entered into Lent and the somber introduction that is Ash Wednesday. Without the clarity of God’s word, this is a legitimate emotional quandary.

So how do we resolve this? How do we look at Valentine’s Day in light of reflection on Jesus and His crucifixion and subsequent resurrection?

The answer comes when we look to the cross.

Examine the two scripture passages today. We’re all very familiar with John 3:16 but look at 1 John 3:16 and be amazed at the awesome nature of God’s perfect word as it tells us about perfect love:

For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. 1 John 3:16

In sum, when we look to the cross, we will see love in its purest and truest form. We find an agape love, the kind of self sacrificing love that led Jesus to say, “I am willing to die for you. I am willing to allow my life to be taken so you might live.” It’s the kind of unselfish love that led God to say, “I am willing to give up my only child so everyone else can live. That’s how much I love you.”

The scriptures are clear. We only know how to love because Jesus laid down His life for us. And we only know love because God expressed it to us through sacrificing His Son Jesus so we might live, not just in the here and now but forever.

Friends, if you know a love outside of this, a love that is void of God the Father and Jesus His Son, then beware of it because it is a false love, a love the world has fabricated and seduced the Lord’s people with. It’s the kind of love that leads someone to think love is lust and sex. It’s the kind of love that proved to be the downfall of the early Israelites and continues to be the downfall of people today. We have yet to learn from the mistakes of the past.

Today on this Valentine’s Day and on every day from this point forward, my prayer is that you will join me in staying focused on the only true love that exists, the love of God as expressed through the living sin-sacrifice of His Son Jesus, the perfect unblemished Lamb who shed His blood as a final atonement for our sins. It was His death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb that gave us the chance for salvation.   

The scriptures tell us that we only know love because Jesus laid His life down for us, freely given up by His Father, our Father in heaven. Look to the cross today with all your heart and push aside all the flowers and candy and jewelry so you can see what love truly is.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Lord, please grant us success!

He who comes in the name of the Lord is blessed.

From the house of the Lord we bless you.

Psalm 118:25b-26 (HCSB)

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

There has been no shortage of books written about how to be successful. Just take a look at the New York Times best seller list for business books and you’ll see what I mean. It seems there are many people seeking to get ahead in life or else these books wouldn’t be written so frequently but it’s interesting to me that the best success advice is found in just one book that has been the best seller of all time. Of course, I’m talking about the Holy Bible.

So why do people who own a Bible continue to buy other books written from a worldly perspective on how to find success?

Good question. Maybe it’s because they don’t know what is in the Bible they own.  

Want to have success? Look at today’s passage, a simple verse and a half from the 118th Psalm:

Lord, please grant us success!

He who comes in the name of the Lord is blessed.

From the house of the Lord we bless you.

First of all, note that the psalmist was looking for success for himself and the people of Israel. We know that because he asks the Lord to please grant them success and that’s a critical point when it comes to the matter of seeking success in our lives. We shouldn’t seek it from within but rather from the One who grants us every good and perfect gift from above (James 1:17).

Indeed, our focus should be on the Lord and on the Lord alone, seeking what His will is for us. If His will is for us to be successful, then we will be successful. It’s really as simple as that.

But look at one other important truth we learn from this scripture:

Those who come in the name of the Lord are blessed.

Want to experience blessings in life which could come in the way of successes?

Just do all things in the name of the Lord.

Indeed, the Lord blesses those who carry out their lives in His name, those who aren’t living based on their own merits but rather placing all their hope and trust on the Lord. And in doing so, the path to success is paved by following His will and way. He directs the steps of the one who comes in His name and those steps lead to divine-directed achievement.

Given all this, the secret of success isn’t really a secret for those who place their belief and faith in the Lord. For believers see fully that it’s not about them but rather all about the Lord and the end result of this is praise and thanksgiving, a desire to exalt the Lord in every way for all He has done for us.

Want to be successful in life?

Simply unlock the secret to success by doing everything in deed, word, and thought in the name of the Lord.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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THE TRIUMPHANT REJECTED CORNERSTONE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

Lord, save us!

Psalm 118:22-25a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What foundation are you building your life on? Is it money? Success? Marriage? Family?

There are any number of foundation offerings the world places before us that are enticing and too often we choose to build upon them. The problem is that when we do, we are building upon the wrong underpinning.

As we look at the Scriptures and the teachings of our Savior Jesus, He addressed this matter of building, using physical structures to show us the impact of building our spiritual foundation upon the wrong things. Look at what He had to say:

As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”  Luke 6:47-49

Here we have two examples.

In one, the builder decided to place Jesus at the foundation of their life, digging down deep and laying their foundation on rock. This life would not be shaken by anything, even the most severe storm and associated flood. Note that the spiritual foundation here is the one who comes to Jesus, hears His words, and puts them into practice. In other words, Jesus is the foundation we are to build upon.

Sadly, may people will reject Jesus. They will reject Him, refusing to come to Him. They will reject His words and choose to not put them into action. The solid Rock they are to build upon will go unused.

Go back to the words of Jesus for the person who decides to build their foundation on anything other than Him will suffer severe consequences for it. In this instance, when the storms and floods of life come, the person whose life is grounded in the world will find their spiritual house collapsed and destroyed. 

Note there are really only two choices, just as there are only two choices when it comes to salvation in life. You can choose Jesus and eternal life or you can choose to reject Him and face destruction. One choice gives you victory and the ability to withstand any storm in life to include death. The other choice gives you all the trappings of the world but leaves you completely unprotected, vulnerable from danger and destined for death.

So what will you choose to do?

My prayer is that you will heed the words of the psalmist in the 118th Psalm, words that prove to be prophetic as they were written well before Jesus had even come to live and walk among man:

The Stone the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

Lord, save us!

Jesus came to bring salvation, the solid Rock sent by God the Father for all people to build their lives upon. He taught and lived in perfect righteousness and holiness, His words bringing instruction to help all through the lives they are blessed to live. And yet, He was rejected, spurned, snubbed, and scorned by the very people He came to love and save. They thought killing Jesus would be the end of Him but it was all of God’s perfect salvation plan.

For a sacrifice was needed to atone for the sins of the world and God in His great love for all mankind was not willing to see them perish but rather to be offered a chance to live with Him forever and he accomplished this through the death and resurrection of His only Son Jesus. This salvation offer was extended to everyone with one caveat: Anyone wanting salvation needed to believe and trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. To put this in play, God the Father resurrected His Son and placed Him triumphantly at His right hand, giving Him dominion over the world so that anyone who wanted to come to the Father would have to do so through the Son (John 14:6).

In other words, the Stone the builders rejected had become the Cornerstone.

Friends, this is good news for us. Without Christ, we would all only have one foundation to build upon and that foundation would always lead to destruction and death. But through the love of the Father, we have been offered a solid, unshakeable Base to build upon, Jesus Christ, and this should bring us to a daily spirit of rejoicing and thanksgiving. For as the psalmist so appropriately proclaims:

“The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice and be glad.”

Indeed, let us all who are in Christ Jesus, rejoice and be glad. For the Stone the builders rejected has become our Cornerstone and we have been saved.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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LOOKING FORWARD TO THE GATE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for You answered me; You have become my salvation.

Psalm 118:19-21

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It seems that almost every cartoon I see and many jokes I hear about heaven have something to do with someone trying to get in through a gate. Once there, they encounter God and there is some humorous exchange regarding that person’s suitability to pass through the gate, sometimes referred to as the pearly gates (see Revelation 21 and the description of the New Jerusalem to see where that reference originated).

Of course, we know the entry into the New Jerusalem will not be determined by anyone standing before a gate but rather a throne and entry into the New Jerusalem will depend on whether or not their name was found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. For those not found there, it will be the worst day ever as they will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).

So who will be listed in the Lamb’s Book of Life?

Those who placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, the One who was sent by the Father to die for the sins of all mankind while crucified on Calvary’s cross, the perfect unblemished Lamb of God who was sacrificed and shed His blood to save anyone who would place their salvation hope in Him.

Are you listed in the Book? If not, I would not delay in making sure my name was added.

So what happens when we do, when we count ourselves as Christians and accept the promise given to us in love from God through Jesus Christ?

Well, look at what the psalmist had to say, and did so prophetically well before Jesus even came to walk among man:

Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for You answered me; You have become my salvation.

Can you sense the anticipation and excitement of the psalmist? He is so looking forward to the day when he will get to enter the gates through which only the righteous pass, those who are right with the Father through His Son, Jesus. He yearns for the salvation to come and so should we.

For as we look at life, what are we fretting about when days might not go just the way we want them to? All believers in Jesus Christ have already been assured about their future. The best is yet to come. Death has lost its sting, no matter when it comes. In the end translation, we have the victory now and forever more through Jesus, and this my friends is the good news that should lead us to give thanks to the Lord just as the psalmist did, no matter how difficult times may get.

Friends, Jesus Christ is our salvation, the only One who can get us to the Father eternally. He is the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), and it was His death and resurrection that opened the gates of righteousness, and eventually the gates of New Jerusalem, to all who would believe and trust in Him.

I don’t know about you but I am looking forward to entering the gate at the appointed time, a time when I will live with God the Father and Jesus His Son forever. I pray you will be with me.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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A LORD WHO BRINGS DAILY VICTORY

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

He (the Lord) has given me victory. Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly.

The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!

The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph.

The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!

I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done. The Lord has punished me severely, but He did not let me die.

Psalm 118:14b-18

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever triumphed over adversity?

I know I have a time or two and it’s always an incredibly exhilarating and liberating feeling to be free from difficult circumstances. It’s what we yearn for as we persevere through our hardships, a sense of relief and release, a feeling of rejoicing as we revel in the victory experience.

Often times, this victory comes after an extended wait, a wait where many prayers are lifted up to the Lord asking for His intervention and rescue from our suffering and distress. Our faith is tested as is our trust in the Lord’s ability to not only do all things but work in His perfect time to grant us a perfect resolution to whatever problems we’re experiencing.

In the end translation when we continue to place our hope and belief in the Lord, we will experience victory, a victory that will leave us, like the psalmist, singing songs of praise and thanksgiving for the Lord who delivered us.

Yes, the Lord has delivered us and will continue to deliver us to victory from our adversities when they arise. But if we look at the victories we gain from the Lord in this perspective, we are missing the bigger picture. For the Lord just doesn’t wait until we fall into difficulty to begin to work out victory for us. No, He grants us victory each and every day.

Look at the closing words from the psalmist in today’s passage:

I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done. The Lord has punished me severely, but He did not let me die.

The main victory the psalmist gained was the opportunity to continue to live and to tell others about what the Lord had done. In other words, the Lord, in saving the psalmist from death, allowed him to carry forth a testimony about the power and glory of the Lord in his testimony. And the psalmist did just that evidenced by today’s scripture passage. We should do likewise.

For we may not have overcome enemies who wished to do us harm but we did awake to a new day today where the Lord granted us another day to live and in doing so, provided us victory over death. Our very living is testimony to the victory we are given through the Lord’s grace, mercy, and love. Our sins should result in our death at the hands of the Lord who we violate and disrespect but instead we receive life and receive it abundantly. We’re not worthy of any blessing from the Lord and yet He lavishes His gifts upon us. Indeed, we truly do serve an amazing God.

But we cannot stop our discussion of victory and daily victory just yet. Because no discussion about victory is complete without a discussion of Jesus, the One who first gained victory over death and the grave so we can do so today. Through Jesus, we find the ultimate victory, the victory that says that this life on earth may end but life will go on for all eternity with Jesus and God the Father. We do experience daily victories but for those who trust in Jesus as Savior (and I pray you are counted in that number), we have an eternal victory that no one can take away from us.

Friends, is this not reason to celebrate?

Those who are in Christ Jesus are victorious people and nothing in their life on earth can change that. Believers in Christ have sealed their place in eternity, their names written on the Lord’s will in heaven so one day they will be seen as rightful heirs to a place in heaven holding a key to one of the mansions Jesus has prepared. And this victory is something we should be celebrating and rejoicing in every day.

Have you decided to allow Jesus to be your personal Savior and deliver you to victory over death into a promise of life eternal?

If not, I pray today is the day that you change your life forever and commit yourself to Christ, the Way and the Truth and the Life, the only One who can bring you to the Father (John 14:6).

If so, then know the Lord has given you life and triumph over death so you can testify and tell others about it, just as the psalmist did. As you go through this day and through every day the Lord blesses you with, make haste to do just that and testify to the goodness, grace, mercy, and love found in the Lord that saves us and brings us daily victory.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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BE NOT AFRAID

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; He brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; He is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down. I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.

The Lord is my strength and my defense.

Psalm 118:5-14a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What do you fear most in life?

There is no shortage of things that people are afraid of. The list includes:

Places: Some people fear heights or flying on an airplane or going to the doctor or speaking in front of people or being in the water, the dark, or closed up in a small space.

Animals: Some people are afraid of snakes or mice or dogs or spiders and other creepy crawlies.

Money: Some people fear not having enough money to make ends meet.

Other people: Some people have a fear of another person as maybe that person has threatened or hurt them in some way. Still others are just introverted and shy, afraid of having to open up and interact with someone else. Some can’t stand being in a crowd.

Shelter: Some people are afraid of becoming homeless, left unsafe and without a place to live.

Food: Some people fear not having enough food to eat, especially when we’re talking about a family with lots of mouths to feed.

Work: Some people, and this is particularly true today, fear they will never find a job and even if they have one, they fear losing it.

Yes, there are many things we fear. This is why it’s little wonder why the Lord addressed the matter in the scriptures. Look at our verses from the 118th Psalm:

When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; He brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; He is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down. I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.

The Lord is my strength and my defense.

In this passage, we find the psalmist hard pressed by a lot of adversity. All the nations had surrounded him on every side, swarming like bees and primed to attack and defeat.

Things looked bleak but note what the psalmist did. He didn’t cower and allow himself to be defeated by his fears. No, instead he cried out to the Lord who he saw as his strength and defense and the Lord answered his cry, moving him from being hard pressed into a spacious place. The New Living Translation reads that the psalmist was set free after crying out from his distress.

I like that even better because that’s what having faith and trust in the Lord does for us. It sets us free from fear or stress or anxiety. It gives us the confidence that allows us to boldly proclaim like the psalmist, “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; He is my helper.” It was this confidence that permitted the psalmist to look at triumph on his enemies, to see victory over the things he could have feared. And it was the Lord who delivered on the psalmist’s faith, allowing triumph over all his foes.

Friends, you and I can have this same victory. We just need to claim it over all our fears and be not afraid of anything. The Lord who was the strength and defense for the psalmist is our Lord today. This is good news for all believers who place their faith and hope in Him. The psalmist discovered that it was a fleeting proposition to trust and take refuge in humans. Only the Lord could and did deliver him from the things he could have feared. We need to do likewise.

So how will you respond to this word of God today? Will you continue to fear or will you place your trust in the One who is your strength and defender, now and forever more?

The Lord is calling you to be not afraid. Answer His call and be rid of your fears today.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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LET THE PEOPLE SAY, “HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER”

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”

Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.”

Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”

Psalm 118:1-4

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The 117th Psalm had a simple message within its mere two verses: The Lord is forever faithful. As we look to the 118th Psalm, we see something else eternal about the Lord we worship and serve: His love endures forever. Look at these verses:

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.”

Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.”

Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”

Now while forever faithfulness speaks us to us saying that the Lord is always there for us, loyal and true, ever ready to hear and answer our prayers and provide for us in accordance with His will, forever love is a completely different matter.

I say this because we can feel love. We can sense and experience faithfulness but love is something personal and intimate, something we all covet so very much. To not be loved would leave us in a place where we would be void of others who cared for us. We would feel alone and isolated, abandoned and forlorn, cold and deserted.

Yes, one of the darkest, most dreadful places to be in life has to be where one is not loved.

The good news is that we will never be in this place if we turn to the One who ever shows us a love that endures forever. To think about what this means, let’s use an excerpt from the scriptures completely centered on love, the 13th chapter of First Corinthians, often referred to as the Love Chapter. I will look at each aspect of what the Bible says love is, as well as what it isn’t, and convey how the Lord perfectly exemplifies each trait as He brings us a love, not just for a moment, but a love that endures forever.

The following comes from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:

1. Love is patient.

Think about how sinful we are. Then think about how much God hates sin. Finally ask yourself why God didn’t just wipe us off the face of His creation a long time ago as we continued to choose our own desires over His. Can you see how much patience our Lord has for us, all out of love? Maybe we should try and show just a fraction of that patience when we deal with one another.

2. Love is kind.

We serve a God who is ever so kind to us and when we allow His Spirit to come and abide within our hearts, then we begin to reap what is referred to as the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians, Chapter 5, of which is kindness.

3. Love does not envy.

The Lord sure doesn’t envy anything about us because He is above us and over us. Yet He loves us in such a special way and when we seek to allow His love to be our love, then we too will find ourselves in a place where we will not envy.

4. Love does not boast. Love is not proud.

When we look at the life of Jesus, we find a humble servant who never boasted about anything except perhaps His Father. I’ve always felt that the humility one shows is a good indicator of where someone is in their Christian faith. One who lives in humility, checks their pride at the door, and lives in a way that Jesus did, in a way that the Lord expects us to live.

5. Love does not dishonor others.

True love seeks to build others up and treat them as Christ would. It’s the very reason that the scriptures, when talking about marriage, command the husband to love their wives as Christ loves the church. This is a love that honors and esteems, not one that cheats and discredits.

6. Love is not self-seeking.

Anyone who loves and lives as Jesus did will find themselves always self sacrificing and not self seeking. It’s what defined Jesus all the way to death for us and it will define anyone who is faithful and obedient to Christ’s will and way.

7. Love is not easily angered.

Going back to the Lord’s grace, we see where we should have been consumed by His wrath and yet we find that He is able to temper His anger so that we don’t face the full brunt of it. Out of His love for us, the Lord corrects but does so in a way that teaches us and guides us toward living the way He longs for us to live. Too many relationships in life are wrecked by anger. We would be well served to love all like the Lord in a way that would ensure that we are not easily angered

8. Love keeps no record of wrongs.

What is the Lord kept a running ledger of our sins? Would we be able to stand up to the evidence that could be presented against us? Thank goodness that the Lord, out of His love for us, is willing to forgive and forget when we repent of our sins. He doesn’t continue to add our sins and hold them against us. He wishes for us to learn from our mistakes and move on to carry out His will in service. Do you hold a list of grudges against someone? Maybe you, like the Lord, should erase the record and allow someone a fresh start out of His love within you.

9. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

To live for Christ out of our love for Him leads us to live for truth and goodness and righteousness.

10. Love always protects.

When you truly love someone, you care enough for them to ensure they are protected, even if it means dying to save them. This most powerful kind of love, agape love, is the same love that Jesus had for us and as we live for Him, it’s the same love we’ll have for others.

11. Love always trusts.

A strong loving marital relationship is built on the foundation of trust. Two people vow to be loyal to one another, to have and to hold for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad. When we love the way the Lord expects us to love, we do so in trust.

12. Love always hopes.

Losing your hope is one of the worse things that can happen to someone. When we love the Lord and in turn love others as He loves, then we find ourselves living and loving in hope and not just any hope but an eternal hope through Christ Jesus.

13. Love always perseveres. Love never fails.

Love in its truest sense does not give up. It always believes and always hangs in there because the Lord’s love endures forever and thus there are no gaps in the love He lavishes on us. It is eternal and continuous.

Friends, the psalmist called on the people in his day to proclaim and let all know that Lord was good and was the source of an enduring love that would last forever.

Today, the call is no different. The Lord is love and without Him in our love, we have no hope to love the way He expects us to. We should not only be embracing His love and put it into action within our own lives but we should be testifying about His love to others.

With this, let all people say this day forward, “The Lord’s love endures forever.”

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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