Your Turn

“If anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.” ( I Corinthians 8:3)

The ball is in our court. Jesus hit the first ball by dying for us. Now we need to respond by hitting that ball of love back into His court. He always hits that ball back with love. We can’t ever out-love Him and even the score.

Out of all the Greek definitions for “known” I prefer the word “understand.” To be understood by God is for Him to see our genuine love that we have returned for the great debt of love we owed Him for paying the ultimate price so we could be free from the bondage of sin; to become children of God; to have life everlasting with Him (beginning now). If that doesn’t compel us to love Him, nothing will.

No one can “live” without love, we may "exist" but we cannot truly “live.” I am sure we all have heard or read the sad stories that came out of many of the Communist-block countries, but especially Romania, where the orphaned babies were kept isolated in cribs without any human touch, except for diapering, and propping their bottle up on a pillow – no caressing, no whispers of love. Out of those children who lived, most were emotionally and psychologically affected – not knowing how to love and be loved. They were emotionally detached.

Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come to give you life and life````````````````````````` more abundantly.” To give us life was His reason for coming into this world and He did it by loving us completely and unconditionally, and then He spread out His arms and died on the cross to prove His love. Dr. John Townsend, a noted writer and theologian, said, “A life full of love, even in hard times is a good life. A life empty of love, even in good times, is a sad life.” Whether even one human being ever loves us, if we experience God’s love we can live that “abundant life.” The only way we can experience and recognize His magnanimous love is to accept His gift - Jesus. When we were still sinners He loved us (Romans 5:6-11). We cannot repay our debt of love to Christ, but we can give Him all the love we have by giving Him our complete and committed life to Him – that is all He wants. He has and will love all He can love and now the ball is always in our court, but we can never outlove God. The score is never, “LOVE.”

The Love Of God
Frederick M. Lehman

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell,
It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin.

When years of time shall pass away and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray, on rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure shall still endure, all measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race – the saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry,
Nor could the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!
It shall for evermore endure – The saints’ and angels’ song.