I Will Always Love You

FEBRUARY 10, 2015

I Will Always Love You
WENDY POPE

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34 (NLT)

It’d been one of those weeks. Every time I turned around, my precious little toddler had gotten into something else. The dirty laundry hadn’t moved from the hallway in days. And my baby wouldn’t go down for his nap.

As quietly as possible, I tried to rock him to sleep for the umpteenth time, but my 3-year-old daughter kept coming in the nursery with markers in her hand. With frustration in my voice, I told her once and for all to go to her room and I would color with her later. She obeyed and marched her tiny feet straight to her bedroom. But she didn’t wait for me to color.

After the baby finally fell asleep, I headed to Blaire’s room. As I opened the door, I stepped on the masterpiece she had been creating. Her frustrations with me were illustrated all over the carpet in her favorite purple marker. (Yes, this is when I learned to have only washable markers in our home.)

I wish I could say I was as "slow to anger" as Christ is with me. But my voice and words were harsh. Blaire began to cry uncontrollably and I put myself in time-out.

After a little while Blaire found me. Still short of breath from her crying, she asked a very sad question: "Do you still love me?"

Her question caused me to reflect on the magnitude of God’s enduring love. I was able to respond to her the same way my heavenly Father responds to me, "There is nothing you can do that would make me stop loving you. I will always love you."

Have you ever thought about the magnitude of God’s enduring love? 1 Chronicles 16:34 records this amazing truth: "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever."

For years, I never really considered what that meant. I knew God loved me, but the fact that His love endures forever was hard to comprehend. Nothing we do will make Him love us more or love us less.

As a mother, I’ve endured sleepless nights, cranky kids and the daily building of tents. When compared to what God’s love endures for me though, I stand amazed!

His love died for you and me while we were still sinners.His love grants us mercy when we stray from His ways.His love overcomes our fears and doubts.His love never leaves us nor forsakes us.His love makes a place for us to spend eternity with Him.

How can He love like that? Because He is God and only God is capable of such love. The first half of 1 Chronicles 16:34 tells us to "give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!" Let’s do that today!

Lord, thank You for your steadfast and enduring love. Help me to love others the way You love me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 63:3, "Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you." (ESV)

Psalm 138:8, "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands." (ESV)

RELATED RESOURCES:
Spark your love for God’s Word with Wendy Pope’s Bible study, Trusting God for A Better Tomorrow: A Psalms Bible Study.

Then, write a letter of gratitude to the Lord, giving Him thanks for specific instances when He showed His enduring love to you