December 7, 2020
Love Everlasting – Micah 5:2
Dr. Larry S. Lightner
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. –Micah 5:2
Do you remember the day you were born? I do not remember the day of my birth either. I have been told the day and year; I have been told how many inches long I was at birth, and how much I weighed. But I do not remember it. Moms remember that stuff; they are dependable in that department.
One thing we can be absolutely sure: when we were born into this old world, not only did Christ love us then, but His delight was in every person created even before they were to be born. If you are a thinking person like me, it is not hard to imagine Jesus thinking of us as He placed His love upon us. He placed His love on us while we were yet unborn, He knew our name before our parents named us, and He knew which of us would choose to follow after Him.
Jesus loves us so much that He longs after our salvation. For those who will follow Him, He promises to love them forever and ever. He accomplishes what He promises. He continually chases after those who are in need of His salvation with His powerful grace. He, because of His great love, is not willing to lose one. Sadly, there are those who will still reject His great love. Once we are His, He will never lose us.
It makes no sense that He would think of us in eternity past and be willing to lose us. In knowing our name, He loves us a long, long time. He would never seek to stop loving us. He does not tire of us.
The picture of how He treats sin, buried in the deepest of seas, cast as far as east is from west, encourages us to come to Him.
Love is like that. An encouragement to come to one another. Donna and I will soon celebrate our 58th year of marriage. We met in college and shortly after began to plan for our marriage. With a love as deep as the deepest of oceans, and a love that has carried us wider than the space between east and west, God has grown our love as if giving us His whole heart on our behalf. Love is special like that.
God’s love from eternity past is like that for you as well. If God were like common man, He would have turned away long ago. However, His love is immutable. We are His choice. He has vested His live in our behalf. He has known us long enough to know every one of our faults. He knew us before we were ever ourselves.
We were written in the book. His objective was to bring us home to Him. Amazingly, His love is so grand as to never turn His eye or heart from us as long as we live on this earth. For His love never stops searching for our heart.
Advent 2020 reminds us how faithful the One who has come chases us with His grace.
Life Application
Christ has known us forever—His love has never diminished. The question remains for humanity is what it is going to do with Christ. No one escapes the question, for it is the vital question for each created life. There is no other question with greater impact.
Prayer
- Pray that the love of Christ will drive your life.
- Pray that your encounters with unbelievers will demonstrate the love of Christ.
