When Joseph Gantt was captured by North Korean forces in December of 1950, his wife went right on living as if Joseph were alive and would soon be home. Clara bought a home and hired a gardener, so that when Joseph came home he wouldn’t have to do yard work and could simply “go fishing or do whatever he wanted to do.” She didn’t know until years later that her husband had died in 1951. She had waited, her love hanging on. Her love never failed.
You know who else’s love never fails?
The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:8, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
The Lord is our Creator and cares a great deal about us. In 1 John 3:1 it says, “See how much the Father has loved us? His love is so great that we are called God’s children” (TEV)
And in Jeremiah 29:11 we are told that God wants you to have a life of happiness and hope.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”
The Bible tells us there is a loving and compassionate God who created our world in order to have a meaningful and joyful relationship with us. Our planet was originally created perfectly. There was no death or pain; no tears were shed over broken relationships. Everything functioned harmoniously, until the fall of our first parents.
The law of love and trust was broken, which brought the curse of sin upon us and the earth. But even though the earth is showing the curse of sin more and more, we still see hope and comfort. God is love is written upon every, budding flower and every new blade of grass. The birds sing their cheerful, happy songs, and in season the flowers release their fragrance into the air. All of these testify of a loving Creator who takes care of His creation, which includes you!
In Matthew 6:26 Jesus tells us, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
See you are valuable, and He loves you, with an everlasting love.
Here is a question, how much would pay for a toothbrush? Maybe a couple bucks, how about a used toothbrush? Would you even want to buy a used toothbrush. But what if that toothbrush was once owned by Napoleon? How much would you pay then? Someone at an auction paid $21,000 for it.
If you are not interested in a used toothbrush, how about a set of fake pearls? Would you pay 10 dollars for them? But what if those fake pearls were owned by Jackie Onassis Kennedy? Now what would you pay? Her fake pearls went for a little over $200,000 at an auction.
Even though these items were fake they still had value. Why? They had value because of who owned them. You are valuable because you are made in the image of God.
You are so precious in God’s sight, and He desired so much for you to be saved from this sinful world, that He sent His Son to die for you. This is the ultimate love gift; this is a love we do not comprehend. God desires everyone to be saved we read in Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV) “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”
The fact is that no one deserves eternal life, because every person has sinned against God and the wages of sin is death. What Paul is telling us is that salvation from sin is received by grace, through faith. God’s grace is His power to forgive and to cleanse from all sins. This gift of salvation extends to all humanity, the decision is up to you if you will accept it.
John 6:37 says, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” Here Jesus pledges to accept all who come to Him in faith. It is not possible to be so sinful as to be beyond the reach of the grace of God. Anyone who is willing for Jesus to accept and forgive them and be willing to surrender and be transformed by the power of God will be saved, this He has promised.
