“ON THE FAITH OF OUR LOVE?!”

The first time I heard her say it, I was stricken by this young girl’s sincerity. I even asked her to repeat it because I had never heard anyone verbalize it quite that way.  Instead of saying, “Do you promise?”, she was saying, “On the faith of our love…is what you’re saying true?!  Do you mean it?!”

It struck a chord with me that day, and I may not say it verbally, but often think it when I read God’s promises.  You see, I believe that the promises He makes in His Word are absolutely true.  They were not just for Abraham, Moses, the disciples or the Jewish people–they were for me (and FOR YOU!)

I love the Psalms, and recently I have noticed how many times the psalmist speaks of God’s faithful love:

Psalms 25:4-10 HCSB

“Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for You all day long.  Remember, Lord, Your compassion and Your faithful love, for they have existed from antiquity.  Do not remember the sins of my youth or my acts of rebellion; in keeping with Your faithful love, remember me because of Your goodness, Lord.  The  Lord  is good and upright; therefore He shows sinners the way.  He leads the humble in what is right  and teaches them His way.  All the Lord ’s ways show faithful love and truth to those who keep His covenant and decrees.”

I love the website, www.biblegateway.com.  It’s a great Bible resource that allows you to look up any verse, word or phrase– in more translations than you could ever imagine.  I use it often when studying, researching, or just preparing a lesson for my 6th grade class.  I searched the phrase “faithful love” and there were over a hundred verses!

At the very core of Christianity are the seeds of FAITH and LOVE.  Without them we lose the ability to bear fruit.  1Corinthians 13 speaks of the absolute necessity of both.  Our faith must be in God, of course, and Hebrews 11 says,  “…without faith it is impossible to please God.”; in 1Corinthians 13 we read that faith must be accompanied by love:

I John 3:16-18 states, “This is how we have come to know love:  He laid down His life for us.  We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.  If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need–how can God’s love reside in him?  Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.”

I am overwhelmed at how many scriptures talk of God’s faithful love toward us.  Even when we don’t deserve it.  Even when we aren’t reciprocating or even when we aren’t believing that He could possibly love us.  How could a Holy God love a flawed sinner like me?

Romans 5:8  “But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!”

Is it a wonder that God calls Himself, “Father”–and for those who believe, He calls “children”?  No other relationship on earth is as binding as the parent/child relationship.  No matter where my children are–physically or spiritually, a part of my heart goes with them.  My love for them is faithful…I loved them before they were born and will love them until the day I die.  Miles may separate us and differences may challenge us, but my faithful love for them will never change.

What more does the God who created us in His image and gave His life for ours have to do to prove His Faithful Love?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing–yet the more I come to know Him and serve Him, the more I am able to see His faithful love in my life.  Oh how I pray for those who’ve never experienced it, because they live in denial of the One who created them.  Oh how I mourn for those who have tasted it, yet choose to live their life apart from Him.  God’s faithful love has been proven in the past and the present.  I pray for you to receive it by grace through faith.  If you’re reading this and have never known that kind of relationship with God, PLEASE comment or email me — I would love to talk to you.  If you have a testimony of God’s faithful love in your life and would like to encourage others, please leave a comment!