I have submitted the following in a writing contest at Lysa TerKeurst's blog.  If you would like more information on the contest, visit Lysa's blog by clicking here. 

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A Portrait of Love 

Love.  Everyone wants it.  Deep down within every single person is a desire to be loved.  What is this thing we all so desperately long for?  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines love as the following:

“…1:  strong affection  2:  warm attachment <~of the sea>  

3:  attraction based on sexual desire  4:  a beloved person  

5:  unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for others  6:  a score of zero in tennis…1:  cherish  2:  to feel a passion, devotion, or tenderness for  3:  caress  4:  to take pleasure in…”¹  

As you can see, this dictionary gives us a variety of meanings for the word love.  Yet, do any of these definitions truly capture the kind of love we all long for deep within?

What about the world?   What do television, movies, and music suggest?  If you were to base your understanding of love on what you see in the secular world, you’d most likely think the following:

(1)  Sex and love are synonymous.

(2)  There’s no commitment in love.

(3)  Love comes and it goes.

You could actually go on listing additional ways the secular world defines love that is inaccurate.  Yet, this is not the kind of love people long for.  Oh, maybe people settle for those things.  However, those things are not what they desire deep down within.  Most (if not all) people want to be accepted.  And I believe that love and acceptance go together.  A desire for committed, unconditional love is also a desire to be accepted.  Therefore, we not only long for real love but also for acceptance.  Many people try to fill that longing for love and acceptance with different things:  sex, money, food, possessions, etc.  “There is a tendency of our flesh to insist on chasing after something else, some missing piece, to satisfy our insatiable thirst for love and acceptance.  Food, clothes, cars, accomplishments, performance, sex, titles, awards, or approval from others can’t fill a void that was created only for God.  The results of our efforts will at best be disappointing and, at the worst, devastating.”²

You see, that emptiness and longing we have deep down inside of us is meant to be filled by God.  We were created to love God.  And God loves us with the kind of love we need.  What kind of love does God have for us?  Let me begin by telling you a story about a group of people that received God’s love.

Somewhere around 1400 B.C., there was a group of people enslaved by the Egyptians.  They were known as the Israelites or Hebrew people.  As slaves, they experienced harsh labor conditions and longed for freedom from the oppression.  
 

Out of all peoples on the earth, God chose these Israelites to be His very own people.  He chose a man named Moses to be His instrument in bringing freedom to the Israelites.  God performed mighty acts that showed His great power.  Nine plagues later, God sent the death angel to kill every firstborn in the land:  people and animals alike.  However, God provided a means by which the death angel would pass over the Hebrew households.  He gave them the means to be saved from this plague of death.

After this devastating blow, the Egyptian Pharaoh let God’s people go free.  Yet as the Hebrew people were leaving, the Pharaoh changed his mind and his army began to chase after them.  God miraculously parted the deep waters of the Red Sea whereby enabling the Israelites to cross over the sea on dry land.  After the last Hebrew crossed over to safety, God closed the gap and the waters came rushing down over the Egyptian army, plunging them to their deaths.  Once again, God saved His people.

God continued to provide for His people as they wandered through the wilderness.    Yet, even after entering their promised land, they struggled with waywardness.  They were stubborn and rebellious.  It wasn’t that they weren’t instructed on how they needed to live.  On the contrary, God gave them His laws.  He taught them how to be holy and righteous.   (See Exodus 19:5-6)  However, the Israelites would often disregard God’s instructions.  Many times they would choose to go their own way.  Still, no matter how many times the Israelites messed up…no matter how many times they sinned…God still loved them.  He was committed, patient, forgiving, tender, compassionate, and merciful.  Would you like to be loved with that kind of love?

Do you realize that God has the same love for us?  He loves us despite our stubbornness, rebelliousness, and sin.  Micah 7:18 says, “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?  He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love.”  (NASB)  

God’s love is an unchanging love.  Psalm 86:15 tells us that God is full of mercy, grace, lovingkindness, and truth.  Joel 2:13 tells us that God is gracious and compassionate.  He is slow to anger and full of lovingkindness.  Lamentations 3:22-25 tells us God’s lovingkindness, mercy, and compassion towards us never cease.  

What does this mean for you?  It means that no matter what mistake you made yesterday or today, tomorrow is a new day.  The next moment can be a new moment.  God’s forgiveness and His love for you are unending.  You can be assured that, as a Believer, forgiveness and grace are yours in abundance.  You can wake up each morning and know, “The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”  (Lamentations 3:22-23, NASB, emphasis mine).  And therefore you can say, “ ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I have hope in Him.’ ”  (Lamentations 3:24, NASB)

Friday, January 18, 2008 - Sabbath Reflections