Love Remains
God provides so you can have faith to trust Him, He promises so you can have hope to move towards Him, and He is ever present because He loves to be with you.
“The Lord said to Moses, “Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: ‘Make sure that you present to me at the appointed time my food offerings, as an aroma pleasing to me.’ Offer one lamb in the morning and the other at twilight, Besides the regular burnt offering with its drink offering, one male goat is to be presented to the Lord as a sin offering...On the fourteenth day of the first month the Lord’s Passover is to be held. On the fifteenth day of this month there is to be a festival; for seven days eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work...On the day of firstfruits, when you present to the Lord an offering of new grain during the Festival of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work."
Numbers 28:1-2, 4, 15-18, 22, 25-26, 31
Why do you think God asks us to give offerings to Him? He certainly does not need our food nor our sacrifices. So why do you think He tells the people to give? If you think about the most meaningful relationships in your life, are they not all centered in trust? God gives us the instructions to give because it is what is best for us and helps us to grow our trust in Him. Is giving easy or difficult for you? How does what you give reflect your faith in God?
The Lord gives other instructions for how to grow the people closer to Him. He says remember the ways in which I have cared for you. Remember the times where I provided manna from heaven. Remember how all that you have is from Me. God is helping us re-frame our perspectives to see that everything is from God, for God. It takes trust to give God a day back to rest on the Sabbath. It takes trust to give at the beginning of the month. Transformation takes place when we learn to trust God knowing that He will never fail us. God is love and love never fails. Love gives us hope. Love gives us confidence to let go of control. Love produces love. God is not giving instructions to create tighter rules that restrict us. God gives advice to draw us closer in relationship so that our joy may be made complete. Where is Jesus calling you to grow in your trust?
“Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
Psalms 145:1-3, 7-10, 14-18
Do you see how intimate the relationship between David and Yahweh is? For many of us, God can feel distant. We can feel alone. We can feel the pressures of all the circumstances of our lives. David calls us to lift up our eyes and see how God is demonstrating His great love for us because of who He is. How well do you know God? What questions do you have for Him?
David knows Him well. He knows Him so well that He can describe His very character. Just like your friends could describe you, David can describe God. He says Yahweh you are gracious, compassionate, good, and rich in love. You are near and faithful. You are worthy of praise and righteous. Do you know God like David? Jesus says that if you know Him then you will know the Father. If you want to get to know God better, then focus on His Son.
"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come...Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it...Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:1, 5-7, 13-14
Solomon says it is never too early nor too late to get to draw close to God. Solomon says your time is limited. He wants to teach us to number our days so that we don't delay in drawing close to God. None of us know the day or hour when our lives will end. Solomon says do it now and know your one duty on earth is to do His will. Does doing God's will define your life?
Solomon says fear God. What does fear God mean to you? It certainly does not mean to be afraid. Science has shown that all but two of our fears are learned. The fear of falling and the fear of loud noises are innate. To fear God is better understood as to have reverence, to expand our view of God to see His greatness, to respect His power and authority, and to stand in awe of the Almighty. How does having the fear of God help you deepen your faith, give you more hope, and love more fully?
“You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors...they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them...they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice. “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.”
Ezekiel 22:6-8, 12, 14, 26, 28-30
The Lord says I made you to give a hand to others. You cannot say you have faith in God and ignore others. Think of Jesus and the story of the Good Samaritan when He is asked about who we are called to help.
Do you have the hope of Christ? The Lord asks how you can say you have hope and keep it to yourself? The Apostle John said how can you say you love the God you do not see if you don't love the people you do see. The Lord calls us to greater faith, to spreading hope, and giving love to others by learning to be people who stand in the gap. How were you made to stand in the gap? How can you help someone today? How can you intercede in prayer for another today? How can you do for one person what you wish you could do for everyone? We are made to be Gap Standers.
“If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:3-8, 11-13
Paul's poetic passage in Corinthians has been one of the most popular love anthems chosen to be shared at weddings, celebrations of life, and public events in over hundreds of years. Why? What is it about this passage that so resonates with each of us that we respond to the truths of these words?
Don't you want to experience all that Paul describes? How often have you wanted to be loving, but found yourself expressing yourself poorly because you were not patient? How often have you allowed pride or fear or a record of wrongs to keep you from loving with kindness? We all have fallen short of God's great love for us by how we have loved others. How can we grow in faith, hope, and love?
Draw closer to Jesus. He is our firm foundation. 1 John 4 says God is Love. Jesus and God are one. Isn't it amazing how Jesus modeled faith, hope, and love to the world? Imagine exchanging love for Jesus in the sentences above. Jesus is patient. Jesus is kind. Jesus is not envious, was not proud, but chose to be humbled to the point of death on the cross. Jesus did not dishonor others nor was self-seeking. He did God's will. He was not easily angered nor did He keep a record of wrongs. He met people at their place of need through grace and then shared the truth about how to move forward. Jesus rejoiced in truth. Jesus always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Jesus never fails.
Faith in Jesus, Hope in Jesus, and the Love of Jesus lasts forever. You can spend your time on any number of things over the course of your life. Jesus invites you to spend time with Him. The same word that is used where Paul says these three remain is the word that Jesus uses in John 15 when He says remain in me. Abide with me. Stay connected to the vine. If you want a life that overflows with faith, hope, and love then remain in Jesus and He will produce in you a life of love that will never fail.