God’s Love
“But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took
it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.” 2 Sam 7:15
We tend to base our love on fleeting feelings and powerful emotions; but God grounds his
love for us purely on his will to love. God does possess powerful feelings and
strong emotions, but those elements are not the basis of divine love.
We love more when we feel more, and love less when we feel less, but fortunately, God doesn’t
act like we do. His love for his beloved is steady and unchanging. He loves to
the end after he has determined to love, and will not change, no matter how
difficult the circumstances are.
I was caught by surprise that the market was so crowded yesterday when I went to pick up
something for supper. It dawned on me that it was the day before the Valentine’s
Day and many men were hustling to get something for their wives or girl
friends. The weather was quite cold but spring was in the air and people seemed
to be ready for the first breath of love brought by a valentine.
“Shall I get something for my wife?” I asked myself as I was walking down the aisle, trying
to find something.
“Hey, we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day,” Kathy told me yesterday at supper. Should I take
her seriously and do nothing for the special day? I pondered. What will the
consequence if I do nothing for her tomorrow? I remember thinking.
Probably nothing. I thought. After thirty-one years of marriage, I think we have gone
beyond all the trappings that people consider essential to maintain romantic
and to keep romance glowing. I hope that our love for each other has advanced
far enough and has been converted into agape love that is not grounded purely
on feelings and emotions.
Come to think of it, a dozen roses and box of chocolate candy on Valentine’s Day can only enhance our love relationship. It
may not do a whole lot to improve our marriage; but surely it doesn’t hurt,
does it? Maybe I should quit being stubborn and get Kathy a little something.
No matter how tawdry they are, the things we do to express our affection for
our beloved should always be applauded.
King Solomon was a God-fearing king initially, but he became increasingly worse as he grew
older and was seduced into practicing idolatry by his Gentile wives and
concubines, which was quite appalling considering his upbringing. Yet even so,
the love of God was not taken away from him, for the Lord had long determined
to love David’s son no matter what the situation was. Solomon had changed over
time, but God’s love for him didn’t change.