A Thought For The Week Of February 15, 2016

"I love you, Lord, my strength." (Psalm 18:1) What a wonderfully rich and meaningful message is contained in just those six words. We are to love God. We love God because God is a God of love who freely gives his love to us. We love God because in Jesus God has shown his love for us - in Jesus' life, death and resurrection, Indeed, the only way we can really love is because we learn what love is by following the example revealed to us by Jesus. And so, "I love you, Lord." And in return for our love (not as a reward but as a result) God becomes our strength. God's strength sees us through all troubles and trials, all circumstances and situations - whether they're of someone else's making or whether they're of our own making. God's forgiveness is the ultimate sign of God's love. Sometimes God loves us in spite of ourselves, and sometimes we're not very easy people to love. I certainly don't mind admitting that about myself. The strength God gives us in all circumstances is the sign of God's love for us. The only response we should be able to offer is our love back to God in return - not as a price we pay but as a natural result of being loved. God's love for us is not a reward, but a result, and our love for God is not a price, but a result. Love begets love - and love becomes our strength, that will see us through all things.