Psalm 100:4-5 - Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His Name! For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.
We know that earthly love can sometimes fail. Individuals who profess love for one another can become unfaithful. Family members may quarrel over politics, faith, or finances and refuse to settle their disagreements. Scripture speaks of the unexpected failure of a mother's love, contrasting that possibility with divine love than cannot fail. God asks His people to consider that shattering loss and then speaks of His comfort: "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you" (Isaiah 49:15). The psalmist calls on us to give thanks for the enduring, steadfast love and faithfulness of God.
God's steadfast love is the forgiving love of His new covenant, in which He says, "I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31:34b). His steadfast love exists from eternity, because "God is love" (1 John 4:16b). This steadfast love for us is not based on our worthiness. It is not determined by how deserving we imagine ourselves to be. God's love is not just a pleasant "feeling" or warm thoughts. This covenant love is expressed in the self-sacrifice of God Himself. God first spoke of that sacrificial love in Eden, promising that the Offspring of the woman would come to destroy the tempting serpent. Down through the centuries, the promise of the Savior was repeated in the words of the prophets. Finally, when the time was right, God's steadfast, self-sacrificing love was expressed in the gift of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9). God the Son, the God who is love, was born and lived among us. He came to die as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world, for every loveless thought, word, and action.
By God's grace through faith, through Jesus' death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven and we have been brought into His kingdom. Together we enter God's presence to worship and bless His Name, giving thanks for His steadfast love and faithfulness. He calls us to share the Good News of His steadfast love with others and to reflect that love of Jesus in our lives. The faithfulness of God, which existed before the creation of the world, extends into eternity. One day we will enter His heavenly courts with praise and give thanks forever for the steadfast love that still endures.
WE PRAY: Lord, Your steadfast love was expressed in Your saving death and resurrection. Lead me by Your Spirit to reflect Your love in my life. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
1. Who do you know that shows love to others far beyond most people's expression of love?
2. How is God's love made known to us through Jesus?
3. What's the next thing you can do (right now) to show someone the love of God?
Today's Bible Readings: Proverbs 5-7 John 20
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"