Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord hath appeared of old to me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED thee with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.
Yes my Friends, it’s Valentine’s Day, and LOVE is in the air! Today’s the day when romantic LOVE is reinforced within our society, with the commercial variety, that of the almighty dollar, right behind. In many cases it’s just another glorified shopping day, when commerce is on the upswing, where florists double their prices and the candy makers roll out all varieties of sugar filled treats. It’s a once a year, one-day sensation. But the kind of LOVE we’re talking about is completely different. It’s greater than romantic affection, and is definitely not for sale. It’s more like the deep, heart felt care, concern and consideration of a parent for their offspring, knowing their inability to look after themselves. That’s the kind of LOVE our heavenly Father bears us, and not just recently either, but as Jeremiah declares, ‘Yea, I have LOVED thee with and everlasting LOVE.’ That means from way back when, till way until forever. ‘And because he LOVED thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt.’ (Deut.4:37) That’s Moses in his warning to the Israelites about keeping God’s statutes, in particular against idolatry. And then he repeated it when warning of separateness from heathens, and being a holy people to the Lord. ‘The Lord did not set his LOVE upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people. But because the Lord LOVED you, and because he would keep the oath which he hath sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that LOVE Him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.’ (Deut.7:7-9) Now people, that’s what I call real, true LOVE! He began with Abraham, then his immediate seed, Isaac, then Jacob, then the whole Hebrew nation as they grew in number. And when they cried unto him by reason of the Egyptian oppression, He did not forget His promise to their fathers to lead them out of bondage in Egypt, to a fertile land. What faithfulness! And despite His chosen people’s gross disobedience, He stuck by them with infinite patience, punishing them every so often, but never really giving up on them. And when Isaiah talks about the Lord, the only redeemer, these are the words the Lord put in his mouth. ‘Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have LOVED thee: therefore I will give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ (Is.43:4) Wow people! What a show of LOVE that represents! ‘Therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.’ Yes my brethren, the Most High God Jehovah has drawn us to Him with LOVING-kindness, for that’s what the old time covenants called for. A combination of LOVE and kindness were considered essentials in any covenant relationship. You were supposed to treat each other like family; e.g. Bruh David and Jonathan’s, where after David became king, he sought out Jonathan’s heirs, found his lame son, Mephibosheth, and treated him like family. And just like that Friends, the Lord brings us into His family, a family of believers, who desire to be obedient to His statutes. ‘When Israel was a child, then I LOVED him, and called my son out of Egypt…I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of LOVE: and I was as to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.’ (Hos.11:1,4) Oh people, isn’t that beautiful and heart stopping! God’s LOVE remained true even in the face of all of Israel’s unfaithfulness. It’s the same way He treats us: draws us to Him gently with soft cords, bands of LOVE, takes off the yokes from our necks and feeds us. Now isn’t that a true, faithful and LOVING parent? Praise His Holy Name, my people! For without Him and His infinite, unconditional LOVE for us, we’d be totally lost, and hurtling straight down to Hades to dwell with Lucifer in darkness forever. And Friends, remember that earlier promise? ‘I have LOVED thee: therefore I will give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ Well our God kept that by giving His only begotten Son, Jesus to save our lives from sin and everlasting association with the enemy. And that my people is the true meaning of LOVE; our mighty but merciful God taking His only Son’s life to pay for us worthless sinners.’ Therefore, ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and everyone that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE…Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son, to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:7-8,10-11) Nuff said my people. Please, let’s go out and follow John’s most worthy advice. Much LOVE!…to truly LOVE…one must have God…His Holy Sprit…deep in one’s heart..
Yes my Friends, it’s Valentine’s Day, and LOVE is in the air! Today’s the day when romantic LOVE is reinforced within our society, with the commercial variety, that of the almighty dollar, right behind. In many cases it’s just another glorified shopping day, when commerce is on the upswing, where florists double their prices and the candy makers roll out all varieties of sugar filled treats. It’s a once a year, one-day sensation. But the kind of LOVE we’re talking about is completely different. It’s greater than romantic affection, and is definitely not for sale. It’s more like the deep, heart felt care, concern and consideration of a parent for their offspring, knowing their inability to look after themselves. That’s the kind of LOVE our heavenly Father bears us, and not just recently either, but as Jeremiah declares, ‘Yea, I have LOVED thee with and everlasting LOVE.’ That means from way back when, till way until forever. ‘And because he LOVED thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt.’ (Deut.4:37) That’s Moses in his warning to the Israelites about keeping God’s statutes, in particular against idolatry. And then he repeated it when warning of separateness from heathens, and being a holy people to the Lord. ‘The Lord did not set his LOVE upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people. But because the Lord LOVED you, and because he would keep the oath which he hath sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that LOVE Him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.’ (Deut.7:7-9) Now people, that’s what I call real, true LOVE! He began with Abraham, then his immediate seed, Isaac, then Jacob, then the whole Hebrew nation as they grew in number. And when they cried unto him by reason of the Egyptian oppression, He did not forget His promise to their fathers to lead them out of bondage in Egypt, to a fertile land. What faithfulness! And despite His chosen people’s gross disobedience, He stuck by them with infinite patience, punishing them every so often, but never really giving up on them. And when Isaiah talks about the Lord, the only redeemer, these are the words the Lord put in his mouth. ‘Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have LOVED thee: therefore I will give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ (Is.43:4) Wow people! What a show of LOVE that represents! ‘Therefore with LOVING-kindness have I drawn thee.’ Yes my brethren, the Most High God Jehovah has drawn us to Him with LOVING-kindness, for that’s what the old time covenants called for. A combination of LOVE and kindness were considered essentials in any covenant relationship. You were supposed to treat each other like family; e.g. Bruh David and Jonathan’s, where after David became king, he sought out Jonathan’s heirs, found his lame son, Mephibosheth, and treated him like family. And just like that Friends, the Lord brings us into His family, a family of believers, who desire to be obedient to His statutes. ‘When Israel was a child, then I LOVED him, and called my son out of Egypt…I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of LOVE: and I was as to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.’ (Hos.11:1,4) Oh people, isn’t that beautiful and heart stopping! God’s LOVE remained true even in the face of all of Israel’s unfaithfulness. It’s the same way He treats us: draws us to Him gently with soft cords, bands of LOVE, takes off the yokes from our necks and feeds us. Now isn’t that a true, faithful and LOVING parent? Praise His Holy Name, my people! For without Him and His infinite, unconditional LOVE for us, we’d be totally lost, and hurtling straight down to Hades to dwell with Lucifer in darkness forever. And Friends, remember that earlier promise? ‘I have LOVED thee: therefore I will give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ Well our God kept that by giving His only begotten Son, Jesus to save our lives from sin and everlasting association with the enemy. And that my people is the true meaning of LOVE; our mighty but merciful God taking His only Son’s life to pay for us worthless sinners.’ Therefore, ‘Beloved, let us LOVE one another: for LOVE is of God; and everyone that LOVETH is born of God, and knoweth God. He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE…Herein is LOVE, not that we LOVED God, but that he LOVED us, and sent his Son, to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so LOVED us, we ought also to LOVE one another.’ (1 John 4:7-8,10-11) Nuff said my people. Please, let’s go out and follow John’s most worthy advice. Much LOVE!…to truly LOVE…one must have God…His Holy Sprit…deep in one’s heart..
SCRIP-BITS 