The Love of God

Last week I was not only challenged not to complain, but my accountability partner referred me to the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. When I read it I thought of my son and male/female relationships, but Sunday’s message at church was about the prodigal son so I took another look at the chapter as God’s love for us. I can’t tell you how much I cried as my preacher described so vividly how God literally and figuratively rescued the prodigal son from a filthy place with the pigs. I’ve been there. I’ve lived so low that I have had periods of time that I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. Even now there are times I stand in church crying in awe at the grace of God and how much He must love me to welcome me back. So as my preacher was talking, I went back mentally to the parts of the chapter I could remember, and I kept coming back to the fact that love keeps no records of wrong. Wait? You mean all the horrible stuff I’ve done isn’t on my record with God? How could that be? Oh, I know that the saints always plead the blood and pray that “it’s all under the blood,” but when you feel filthy in God’s presence, it is hard to imagine that an almighty God isn’t seeing you covered in filth but covered with the blood of Jesus. Even as I write this, I am in awe. Now that I’ve gone back and reread the chapter, I see that love suffers long. How long has God suffered dealing with me? Seeing me go my own way? What I love most about the chapter is that Paul concludes his description of love by saying that love never fails. No, it doesn’t. As far as I have walked and sometimes run from God, His love for me has never failed. What kind of awesome God is this who loves us so richly and completely? An awesome God indeed.