Tuesday, February 13, 2007

more than words...

This post was written by Deborah Sharpe, a dear friend of our family.  I greatly respect Deb's passion for the gospel and I am so very thankful for the godly influence she is to both me and my children.  Thanks for the post, Deb...

About a week or two ago, during my morning commute to my classes at Towson, I found myself randomly blurting out the lyrics to what I believe to be a Rod Stewart song.  Now, I can't tell you where exactly the urge to start singing this song came from or where I remember first hearing it.  To be honest, I really didn't even know the words past the first line of the chorus and from that moment on began to make up my own words that were not even close to the original lyrics.  The song goes, "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

As I was driving along on that brisk morning singing this completely random song, an interesting thought came to me.  "How often has my Savior told me that He loved me?"  As I began to contemplate this question, my mind immediately went to various verses in the Bible that convey Christ's love for us.  Verses like John 3:16...

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Or a verse like John 15:9...

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Abide in my love."

"I guess God has told us many times in the Bible how much He loves us," was my thought.  I mean obviously, there are a lot of verses in the Bible assuring us that the God of heaven loves us dearly.  Why He loves us? - Have no clue about that one, but it is clear that He has chosen to love us.

As I continued to ponder this question about God's love, another thought came to me.  When the almighty, holy God turned His back on His only Son and poured out the entirety of His wrath, giving us Jesus' righteousness in the process, He demonstrated the greatest love ever known.  Since this is the case, there is so much more evidence of God's love than just the individual verses that plainly state it in the Bible.  The entire Bible is a love letter from God!  This wonderful book, from its beginning to end, tells us of the amazing love of God put into action.  How, before time even began, the all-knowing Lord devised a way to save the very people that would rebel against Him.  How, throughout the Old Testament, He made promises to His people that one day He would send a Savior to redeem them.  How we are told of the bleeding and bruised body of our Lord being nailed to a wooden cross.  How He rose again on the third day, ascending into heaven to intercede for us.  And how we are promised that one day He will return for us and take us to heaven with Him.  Is this not the greatest love story you have ever read?  Romans 5:8 says "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

This is His love letter to you.  It is a love story that never loses its luster, one that will be continuously told for years to come.  I exhort you not to let this incredible display of love in the gospel be swept to the side.  Remember this love.  Meditate on it.  Keep it on your mind.  Isn't it great?  Can't you just see the smiling face of the Creator looking down at you and saying, "Look at my word, my child... haven't I told you so much lately that I love you?"

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