This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13

Although we don't like to admit it, most of us encounter times when we don't want to go to worship.

Is this kind of scene familiar in your home? It's Sunday morning and dad rolls over in bed and mumbles something like, "I don't want to go to church today."

"Why not?" his wife asks.

"Because the people there don't like me. I stayed up too late last night. There probably won't be anybody there this morning, and I just don't want to go." To that litany of excuses the wife counters, "Those are pretty silly reasons. You should go to church. The people at worship do like you. You'll feel better once you get moving, and there will be more than a handful of people at worship. And besides, you're the pastor."

As I say, there are times when God's saints don't feel like going to church -- even pastors.
Thankfully, there is never a time when God doesn't feel like loving His people. The entire Bible is an ongoing record of how God loves us, how He keeps His promises, and how He sent His Son to save us.

In Biblical times, and still today, God loves His people even when they forget Him. He loves us even when we ignore Him. He loves us even when we disobey Him. His love never ends. To live in the presence of that kind of love is pretty overwhelming. What a wonderful God He is to send His Son to lay down His life to save those whom He loves.


From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"



THE PRAYER: Lord God, the greatest love this world has seen comes from You. Please, show me how to reflect the love of the Savior to others. Help me, Lord, to be more Christ-centered and less me-centered. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Jonah 1-4    Acts 15:1-21

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