We are doing many songs this week at Eagleville Bible Church that remind us of the deep love of God! What a great thing to reflect upon as we offer up our worship. Here are the songs we will be singing and the corresponding Scriptures:
- One Thing Remains, (YouTube Link)
- 1 Cor 13:4-8(a),
- Ps 63:5,
- Rom 8:37-39,
- God So Loved, (YouTube Link)
- John 3:16,
- 1 John 3:1-2,
- Matt 11:28-30,
- Eph 1:3,
- Col 2:14-15,
- How He Loves, (YouTube Link)
- Ex 34:14,
- Dt 4:24,
- Jude 1:21,
- Eph 1:6-8,
- Eph 3:16-19,
- Holy Spirit, (YouTube Link)
- 1 Pet 1:3,
- Ps 34:8,
- Acts 10:44,
- 1 Kings 8:10-11,
- Ex 33:14,
- Nothing but the Blood, (YouTube Link)
- Isa 1:18,
- Heb 9:22,
- Titus 3:4-6,
- 2 Cor 5:21,
Devotional Thought
For God so loved the World that He gave His one and only Son! These are the words found in John 3:16 that help us to understand the level to which God loves us, and yet I believe the unfortunate reality is that we have all become entirely too familiar with these words and it has produced a numb response from many of us. This should never be the case! Ever!
All-too-often we see Memorial Day celebrations that have absolutely no regard for the actual reason we observe the day, because we have forgotten the price that someone paid on our behalf in order to celebrate freely in our Nation. There is a lack of understanding from those that have not been impacted by such a loss personally (although that is false, because everyone that resides in America has benefitted from these sacrificial deaths by those who served in the Military), and because of this there is a lack of reverence and appreciation culturally for this holiday.
I believe this a sad and unfortunate truth that has become the reality in regard to the Scriptures as well. Everyone is desiring to be loved and accepted, to have a purpose and meaning for their life, and to do whatever necessary to find some sliver of hope in this world. Even with this said though, people are more and more refusing to look into the only Book that gives us all of those things and more! The Bible!
The Bible has such encouragement in it, and it reminds us of not only our purpose and value in this life but also of the Eternal nature of a caring God who loves us with an undying love! The answers that we all seek are found within the covers of this amazing Love letter from God to us, and yet so many people are rejecting it as old news that is out-dated and not applicable to today’s world. What a shame!
There is an answer though to this issue! Open your ears, meditate on the Truths you hear from the Bible, and allow these truths to characterize and inform the decisions you make in this life! The rest of the verse I began with says, “so that those who believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life!”. The truth that we all must obey and apply is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation! This will position us to receive and fully appreciate the love that God has shown to each of us, and in turn will result in a joyful and hope-filled life full of purpose and meaning!
The ones who fought alongside their friends who died, the ones who seen the Officers approaching their door to report the deceased, and those that embrace their utter helplessness for freedom without such individuals! These are the people that truly appreciate and rightly observe Memorial Day and are not numb to its meaning and significance! Well, in just the same way, I believe that to the degree that we appreciate and understand the sacrifice made by the Father to send His Son into this world to die an innocent death on account of guilty people is to the degree that these words from John 3:16 will never lose its meaning and impact upon our hearts! May the spirit of familiarity never steal the transforming affect that these words from Scripture can have on our lives! Ever!
God loves us! God loves you! God loves me! 1 John 4:8 says that God is love! Unfortunately, we are living in a culture that has twisted that by believing love is God, and by doing so the true meaning of love has lost its affect on us! When we make love our God then we will compromise on values and principles to protect our feelings rather than allowing truth and holiness to produce the byproduct of love through a lifestyle characterized by the fear of God! You see, God teaches us how to love when we operate based upon His design for our lives. So the best way for us to give and to receive love is to live in a godly manner with one another! Our culture is missing this truth, and we see the results of that through the chaos and utter destruction that worshiping at the altar of feeling loved is heaping upon this world.
We must repent! We must pray! We must ask the Lord to help us all to remain rooted and grounded in His love (as Paul did in Ephesians 3:16-19), and for our faith to increase as the world around us is decreasing in their capacity to understand true love. Please do not allow the influence of our culture to cause your hearing to become dull and your heart to become numb to the greatest message ever given!
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
You are deeply loved by God, and no matter what happens His love for you will remain always! Allow that truth to penetrate your heart and inform all that you do in this world. It will lead to His glory and your joy for sure!
God bless you.