LOVE ALWAYS
Terry R. Baughman
“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:5).
Love endures and never fails. While some may love with reservation or preset conditions, God’s love is expansive and continual. We may set limits on love and decide on how much or how long we want to love another. God’s love knows no such boundaries.
We embrace Him and receive His love on the basis of faith: a faith that is firmly founded in His love. Paul wrote, “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” (Ephesians 3:17–19). We know His love because we have experienced it, but we are never fully able to grasp its breadth. We comprehend it but we cannot contain it. We know, but it exceeds our knowledge. It is impossible to fully know His love. Paul was amazed by and assured of God’s enduring love and declared, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39 NIV).
The omnipresent attribute of God declares His eternal existence and continual presence. The immutability of God is demonstrated in the character of His love that is equally present and eternally assured. There is no end of His love and no boundaries to His mercy. The psalmist’s repeated refrain in every verse (26 times) of Psalm 136 was, “His love endures forever.” This refrain was common in the Psalms and sung in the Temple as well as the victory worship chant of Jehoshaphat’s armies when they sang in the faces of the enemy in the wilderness of Tekoa, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever” (2 Chronicles 20:21 NIV).
Many centuries later we are reminded again of the unchanging character of God’s love. His enduring love was placed on display for the world to see. Paul said, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The supreme declaration of love was the sacrifice and death for those He loved. The cross stands as the lasting symbol of God’s infinite love, His ultimate sacrifice, and undeniable resurrection from the dead.
Love is the 3:16 principle in the Gospel of John and the first epistle of John, “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 NIV). “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16 NIV).
Love is known through experience and revealed through relationship. The more we know of God, the more completely we will understand that His love never fails!
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever” (Ps. 136:1 NIV).
Scripture:
“Love … rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.…” (1 Corinthians 13:6–8 NIV).
Terry R. Baughman
“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:5).
Love endures and never fails. While some may love with reservation or preset conditions, God’s love is expansive and continual. We may set limits on love and decide on how much or how long we want to love another. God’s love knows no such boundaries.
We embrace Him and receive His love on the basis of faith: a faith that is firmly founded in His love. Paul wrote, “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge” (Ephesians 3:17–19). We know His love because we have experienced it, but we are never fully able to grasp its breadth. We comprehend it but we cannot contain it. We know, but it exceeds our knowledge. It is impossible to fully know His love. Paul was amazed by and assured of God’s enduring love and declared, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39 NIV).
The omnipresent attribute of God declares His eternal existence and continual presence. The immutability of God is demonstrated in the character of His love that is equally present and eternally assured. There is no end of His love and no boundaries to His mercy. The psalmist’s repeated refrain in every verse (26 times) of Psalm 136 was, “His love endures forever.” This refrain was common in the Psalms and sung in the Temple as well as the victory worship chant of Jehoshaphat’s armies when they sang in the faces of the enemy in the wilderness of Tekoa, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever” (2 Chronicles 20:21 NIV).
Many centuries later we are reminded again of the unchanging character of God’s love. His enduring love was placed on display for the world to see. Paul said, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The supreme declaration of love was the sacrifice and death for those He loved. The cross stands as the lasting symbol of God’s infinite love, His ultimate sacrifice, and undeniable resurrection from the dead.
Love is the 3:16 principle in the Gospel of John and the first epistle of John, “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 NIV). “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16 NIV).
Love is known through experience and revealed through relationship. The more we know of God, the more completely we will understand that His love never fails!
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever” (Ps. 136:1 NIV).
Scripture:
“Love … rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.…” (1 Corinthians 13:6–8 NIV).
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