February 16, 2020 – God Is Love

GOD IS LOVE

When I was young, family devotions were insisted upon, with 6 children sitting around the breakfast table. I give my Mum credit for her perseverance, if not downright doggedness, in getting us to sit still and actually participate in these daily devotional times.  Surely an impossible dream.  And yet she persevered.

I remember she had a little plastic loaf of bread, within which were all these little cards upon which were written bible verses, and on the other side of the card, a short poem or 4-line lyric from a worship song.  Perhaps you remember these as well.  I think they were called ‘Daily Promises’, but my memory is fading.

One thing I do remember is that our youngest brother, who had not yet learned to read, (or was just learning) was unable to participate in this morning reading ritual. We would each draw a card, and read the verse and the poem, place it back in the ‘loaf of bread’, and when we had all taken a turn, there would be prayer.  Well, as I said, the youngest couldn’t read these cards … was left out … but that wouldn’t do for Mum.  She made up a few special cards which were pure white (easy to find) and printed very simple verses on them. No poem, just a short verse. (I should point out here that despite our efforts to all go for the white cards (because they were shorter), they were reserved totally for the youngest.)

Anyway, one card simply had 3 words on it. As kids, we used to snicker at how easy that one was to read.  You didn’t even have to think about it.  You probably didn’t have to read it.  It was so short, the shortest in the pile, and everyone knew it. So easy. So simple. … So powerful.

GOD IS LOVE

He would ‘read’ it without barely looking at it. He had it memorized.  We all had it memorized.

GOD IS LOVE

Way to go, Mum. Half a century later, the beauty and simplicity and truth of those three words continue to overwhelm me, sustain me, empower me.  Because they are absolutely true!

God IS love, and He loves you. He can’t stop himself. It is who He is.

We read in another incredibly famous bible verse found in John 3:16, ¹⁶ 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.

Because He is love, you need to know that He loves you, and invites you to know this love, to live in this love, and have this love sustain you throughout eternity. Jesus came to die for you, so that you can live.

That’s one incredible Valentine message of love.  Read all about it in 1 John.

Three simple words. I think you can remember them.

GOD IS LOVE