From Pastor Kurt
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness, (Lamentations 3:22-23)
This is one of the really great pieces of news in the Bible. I love to be reminded that our God is filled with love for us. Every morning, when I come to the office, the first thing I try to do is read devotion or prayer. I remember one that I laughed at but it is so true.
If God had a refrigerator, your drawings would be on it. If God had a wallet, your picture would be in it.
Face it, he’s crazy about you.
I know there was more to it than that, but that’s all I could remember. And there is more to God’s love for us than that, too. Our reading above from Lamentations says that, first of all, God’s love is steadfast. This means that God’s love for us is fixed, unchanging, loyal, and constant. That pretty much describes it. Throughout all of human history, God’s love has never changed. It’s the one thing that we can always count on. When we sin, God forgives. When we turn away from God; God remains waiting for us.
We are also told in the reading that God’s mercies never come to an end. Mercy is compassion and kindness that brings relief. Since the Bible has promised that God’s mercies never come to an end, can we say that God never ever gets tired of watching over us? Protecting us? Saving us? Loving us? That is what I get out of that part of the reading.
Jeremiah (the writer of Lamentations) also writes, they (God’s love and mercy) are new every morning. In these words, I hear that God’s love and mercy are renewed with the dawning of each day. So, when I blow it today (and I probably will), I know that God doesn’t abandon me, but he renews his love and mercy, giving me another chance.
We all need new chances. Think about how often you give others another chance. We may get tired of giving that new chance all the time, but that is the model we get from God. God wakes us up in the morning and loves us all over again.
Face it, he’s crazy about you. Share God’s love and mercy with someone else.