There was an old preacher who preached one Sunday on Love and how Christians should love everybody! Well, the next day he had had concrete poured in front of his house and some neighborhood kids drew in the concrete and walked in it!
The preacher saw this and with a hateful attitude, ran outside and said, “Get outta here, you bad little kids!!!” When he came back in his wife said, “Honey, you just preached yesterday on loving everybody! But you didn’t show much love to those kids!” He said, “Oh I love everybody in the abstract, but I don’t love them in the concrete!”
The Bible says a lot about Love. In fact, from Genesis to Revelation, the word ‘love’ occurs 567 times!
In all, the Bible is the story of God’s unconditional and relentless love for mankind.
Here are a few samples of scripture: Jesus prayed to His Father in John 17,
“I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (verse 23).
That’s easy to say, but God proved it.
“ God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Jesus affirmed this in John 3:16, “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” But it wasn’t just the world God loved; it was you.
Paul wrote, God “loved me and gave Himself for me!” (Galatians 2:20).
And no matter what, nothing will ever separate us from God’s love.
Romans 8:38–39 says, “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God.”
Think about that. Nothing or no one will ever stop God from loving you!
On this Valentines Month, give thanks that you’re loved in a way that your finite mind will never comprehend on this earth.
I genuinely love you all! Pastor Tanner
(Note: This column is written by a different Littlefield pastor for the Leader-News each week. The columns are published on this page on Wednesdays.)