“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”- 1 John 4:17-19
Now, as I looked at this beautiful stained glass window I was at first drawn to the small picture at the top of the window; the cross. I thought of the love that God had for us, manifested in that ultimate gift of love, the death of Christ on the cross for my sins. I was moved by just how much God truly loves me. To know that He loves me so much that He would suffer the indignity and torment of the cross. How could I possibly have doubted Him? If He loved me that much surely He loved me enough to reach down into whatever dark pit I may find myself and guide me to the light once more. Who can possibly measure the depth of reach that His love holds? Who can possibly envision the shear strength of His love to overcome any dark time we may find ourselves? Who can possibly doubt the wonder of the love of God?
And as I sat there pondering great and deep thoughts, if I do say so myself, about the wonder of God’s love; He seemed to be asking me another question. It was that question that Jesus asked Peter by the sea shore so many years before. “Do you love me?” You see, love is designed to be reciprocal, or given back. It is not only that God loves you, but you must also deal with the question of your own love for Him.
When we are in those dark times of life and the questions begin, and the doubts assail our minds and hearts, we need to be reminded that love is there in the good times and the bad. That passage in 1 Corinthians 13 is called the love chapter. It speaks of love in such a way that we cannot help but to imagine a love that does not flea when times are bad. Now, we know God’s love is never changing, but I wonder if we have really thought about our own love being constant too. In those dark times we become overwhelmed with fears and doubts, yet still there is love. There is His love for us and our love for Him.
It was at that time, sitting not at the foot of the cross, but in the cross itself that I was reminded that to love God is to allow Him to cast away our fears. Contemplating the message of the cross I was reminded that God is so much greater than all the trials and struggles of life. He died for my hurts and failures. And He rose from the dead to shed light in those dark pits of life. He calls to you, no matter where you are in life and simply asks; do you love Me? If you do, then place your hope in Me.
Do you struggle with a relationship gone awry, place your hope in Him and love Him, and if you trust Him He will show you the answers [Proverbs 3:5-6]. Are you seeing your financial security falling around you, love Him, hope in Him and trust Him, after all, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills [Psalm 50:10]. Are you struggling with guilt, or hurt, or doubts; remember that you can love Him, the One who first loved you, and He, through the power of the cross will see you through [Psalm 107]. The struggle for faith; the focus of our hopes; they all begin with the wonder of love. Not only His love for you, but also in the assurance found in your love given back to Him. For when you truly love someone, then you can have hope of a future with that one and faith in that loved one’s love for you. In Micah 7:8b we find an interesting thought. Micah, talking about the enemies that surround us, stated that “when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” Imagine that. It is not in the journey to find and experience the light at the end of the tunnel. The true love of God is found in the reality that He can and will be our light in the tunnel.
“But now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
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