By Pam Parker
Love is thought of as an emotion, but actually it is a verb. True love motivates and causes one to take action. For God so loved . . . that He gave (John 3:16).
I recently read this quote by Pedro Arrupe: “What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evening, how you spend your weekends, what you read, whom you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”
Honestly, I am in love with and married to an amazing man. I personally believe he is the best man God ever created. He is the best husband any woman ever had, the most caring father any children ever were blessed to call Dad, and the GRANDest Grandpa ever. There is nothing my husband would not do for me or our family if it was within his power to provide it for us. What is his became mine, he shares freely with me. On the day we got married, we promised to love each other until death parts us. He became my one and only guy.
Yet, as wonderful as my husband is, falling in love with him is not the best thing I ever did. I hope that doesn’t sound derogatory to you. While I still enjoy spending my days with him, and I enjoy the gentle touch of his hand holding mine, especially when I need him to walk with me in a troubling time, falling in love with Jesus is truly the best thing I ever did. My husband is my only guy, but the day I fell in love with Jesus, He became my One desire. He is the One that motivates my days. He is the One that guides my life’s journey. He is the One that never ceases to amaze me. Jesus is the One Who fills my heart with joy and my life with gratitude.
No earthly love can compare to the spiritual union I have with our Savior. It is amazing to me that when Jesus became my first love, every other relationship in my life became richer and fuller. Every other part of my life took on new meaning through His presence in my life. His abundance became mine the day I fell in love with Him. I had read in the Bible that Jesus came to give me an abundant life, but until I fell in love with Him, I did not experience that to its fullness. I now know His peace that goes beyond any human understanding or comprehension. I now have an abiding joy. There is the calm assurance that my True Love is always with me, ready to hold my hand and walk me through the valley. And that happened the day I fell in love and committed to Him.
Is Jesus your first love? You can tell by what directs your desires and captures your imagination. Fall in love with Him; believe me when I tell you that it’s the best thing you will ever do.
Thought for the Day . . .
Strength in the Storm
“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).
We often become battered by the storms of life. During our darkest times we feel that the waves of the sea threaten to overwhelm us. But when we become beaten down by the trials we face, then it is time to remember that there is a place of safety and protection. Our refuge is in God; He is our hiding place .
“For thou has been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the hat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall . . . Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us” (Isaiah 25 4, 9).
Grasp hold of His promises, and you won’t go under. His arms are underneath you, holding you up.
