"Love"

There’s a love that’s hard to fathom,

It bridges sin’s dark chasm,

And more than we imagine,

Than it could ever be.

It’s what our tired hearts long for,

Until the Spirit’s outpour,

Sweeps down from heaven’s strong shore,

For one and all and me.

When I am down and lonely,

And think that I’m the only,

One whose hope is homely,

He’s there and says, “Come see.”

And if I follow after,

I hear the Savior’s laughter,

And know He is the crafter,

Of all that concerns me.

So if you’ve reached the end of,

What you thought was real love,

And push has come to your shove,

Remember what I say.

There’s more than we can measure,

Of heaven’s endless treasure,

And all that once gave pleasure,

Can never this outweigh.

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love…” (Romans 8:35, NLT)

Being separated, detached, excluded and rejected is something most, if not all, of us have felt at one time or another. If you’ve ever been passed over or kicked out you know what I’m talking about. Sometimes we get to feeling so alone that we think we’ve become unlovable. The feeling is that love is for others but not us. And I don’t just mean just romantically, but family and friendship love, too. So, here’s some truth. God’s love is so incredibly strong that nothing can ever separate us from it. That’s one of the best things about it. It is not contingent in any way upon what we do or don’t do. It is completely unconditional. The challenge is for us to accept it, receive it, and cooperate with it. We are loved no matter what we do. We become aware and fully experience the love when we say yes to it. It’s about saying yes to the One who says yes to us.

Lord, help us to say yes to Your love, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.