In response to a question about which commandment was greatest, Jesus responded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and first commandment.”  (Mt 22:37)

But how do we, who are so weak, so frail, so fragile, so fallen, so unholy, love the One who created all that is and sustains it in the power of His love; who is so strong, so holy, so good, so gracious, so loving?  There is such a mismatch, isn’t there?

We love because he first loved us.  We love because God loved the world so much that he sent his only begotten son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  We love because God loved the unholy, the fallen, the sinful, the weak, the frail, the fragile – the ones who are just like us – so very much that he came among us to live, and gave his life to set us free from all that limits us and prevents us from stepping into the fullness of life God has for us.

We love because our hearts are filled with gratitude and thanksgiving and wonder and awe that he loves us with a love that will never let us go.  We come to Him like three year olds, like little children, helpless, unable to make ourselves worthy, dependent on him for every breath and everything in life that means anything.  We come to the King, and crawl up on His lap.  And as we seek and serve the King, his Kingdom becomes real and visible and present in our lives.  Thanks be to God!

Blessings,

Pastor Deborah