Love is the Greatest!

Good morning on this warmish Thursday morning! I notice that walking longer/farther is much easier on a warm morning. Hopefully this is not the first of many rather obvious insights I will have today. Why is love the greatest. Paul said it. Jesus commanded it. That last one alone should seal the deal, but we still want to know why. The Bible seems to speak of faith more often, but names love as the greatest. Perhaps God could not save us because He had faith in us. Oops, that seems rather obvious too. We can't even have faith in each other, the very best of us can fail through no fault of our own. God must have opened the way to salvation because of His love for us. Hooray, Love is the greatest!

Our faith is a bit of leaky vessel, we must admit. I come to God with my request, and almost immediately the thought of a backup plan comes to mind. "But if you don't want to do that Lord, then I will..." That isn't faith, or at the most it's faith of the very least kind. The good news for me is that the least of God's love is greater than the best of my faith. When a doubt creeps in the door of my heart almost before the words of faith are out of my mouth, God's love stands firm. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Faith does play a part, and we are encouraged to work with the Lord as He grows our faith, but love had to come first. Love arrived in the prophecy of a child.

The Law showed our sin in no uncertain terms. God said, "Thou shalt not!" and immediately we felt the urge to do exactly what was forbidden. Before Moses could bring the tablets of the Word down from the mountain, the thous were looking for a cow to worship. Which explains why thous-ands of them died in the wilderness without seeing the promised land. Violations of the Law carried the death penalty. Love brought us a new way that gives life. Jesus said that he came that we might have life.

Love healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind, and told the lame to get up and walk. Love patiently explained parables, told of blessings, and reminded all that He would come again. Love told us to have faith in that promise. Doubts speak fear into our faith, but Love upholds His Word. The universe is not upheld because God believes in us, it is upheld because the love of His Son is greater than our fear, our doubts, and our leaky faith vessel. God's love for us produced a Son who gave His life that we might live. God's grace affirms that love by forgiving the doubts, fears, and all other sin we struggle with daily. God's love says, "Ask me for more faith, and I will gladly give to you!"

All my love to you on this fine morning!
Bucky

P.S. To those of you reading on the blog, this is the 2,000th published post - a milestone! God's provision has brought me this far. I don't know the day or hour when I will be ordered home, but until that time, I will work toward another 2,000 posts. Yours in Christ Jesus, Bucky