Psalm 118:1—”Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”
Whatever we have gone through – lost family or friends, brokenness, ill health, pain, and so on – it may make us feel empty with no hope for a long-lasting enduring love in this world. Could it be because we depend on our earthly relationships? God is the only One who loves us unconditionally.
How can we reciprocate our love for Him? We share our God’s unconditional and never-ending love, which we receive, to all around us.
-Begin in our homes: Show love and care for your family: spouse, children, parents, siblings, etc. No point if we give material things, but hold back on sharing our God-given love.
(But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers. 1 Timothy 5:8)
–Our children: Share the love and mercy, which God gives us, to our children. Kids look for our (as parents’) love and respect, so we must be careful and guarded when we are in their presence.
(Let the word of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 NKJV)
– Self: Search your heart earnestly to identify a thorny root of bitterness (if any) and then pray for the person – the source of your bitterness – to allow God to do His work. Bitterness comes naturally springing from our flesh but controlling it, biting our tongue, is part of our Holy Spirit-guided reaction of choice. Bitterness is a root that grows deep, and the poison can seep everywhere.
(Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Hebrews 12:15)
– Others: Check your first reaction when you get offended? Do we return the hurt(lash out in anger) or exact punishment? God will handle that if we don’t do anything – ‘be still and know that I am God’. We’d rather show them God’s love and bring them over to God’s side.
(See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. -1 Thessalonians 5:15)
Why do we do all this, and who comes first in our life?
God is our master who weaves together all our events for His glory, even if painful, challenging, or traumatic. If your world crashes down, keep your faith focussed on God who will not fail you. When you focus the attention on a solid rock, your perspective changes and the rest moves into your peripheral view. To stay focussed on God, do A-B-C: Accept and abide in God’s Word, Be persistent in prayer, Confide in a mature- in-faith accountability partner.
(And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28)
Don’t ever give up your hope in God’s love. Have faith in God.
