Jesus Still Loves Us

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,

always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1 Cor. 13:4-8)

One of the things that we wondered about before we first came to New England was what the winter weather was like. Some one told us that if you're going to make it through the winter, you've got to get a source of power that won't fail you in your car. Somebody told us that we would need a particular battery for our car; a particular car battery whose major selling point was that even in the dead of winter you could trust it. It would not fail. This particular car battery is called Diehard. It’s got a Bruce Willis, macho kind of name -- the Diehard battery. We were told, “There are some car batteries that will last for a season, - generic batteries, ordinary Brand X batteries. and then there is the Diehard -- the battery that never fails.” “You can invest in them if you want to, but there is only one battery that stands alone. Its claim to fame is that it never fails. Ordinary batteries wear out and die down, but this battery keeps going and going and going.”

Now lest you think I’m doing a promo spot for some brand name, let me pause and say I’ve not found many things in this life about which you can say, “never fails.” I’ve seen that some products truly do have a better quality than others, but saying “never fails” would definitely be overstating the facts. Many make the claim, but very few actually live up to it.

Actually when I think about it there is only one thing in this life that I’ve discovered “never fails.” It is the love of Christ. The love which Christ gives to us is not like anything we find in this world. It’s a special kind of love. The book of Romans describes it like this: “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person. Though perhaps for a good person, someone might actually dare to die. But, God demonstrates His own love for us in this” -- here's God's kind of love, this kind of love that never fails – “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8) When we act unlovely and become unloving Jesus still loves us. When we rebel in spite of knowing the truth, Jesus still loves us. When we ware unkind to those around us, Jesus still loves us. When we boast of what we’ve accomplished and ignore the giftedness he has placed within us, Jesus still loves us. When we pridefully declare we will do things our own way, Jesus still loves us. When we are rude and self-promoting, Jesus still loves us. When we unleash our tongue and rage at the world around us, Jesus still loves us. When we refuse to forgive and rehearse the long list of perceived wrongs in our life, Jesus still loves us. Even when we deny the truth and indulge in evil, Jesus still loves us. While we were still sinners, and still sinning – Jesus still loves us. Regardless of your behavior, Jesus still loves you. His love is unconditional. It never fails.

I suspect that there is someone who might need to be reminded of that simple fact today. Perhaps you’ve let someone down in your life and you’re carrying around a burden of guilt. Hear the word – Jesus still loves you and is willing to forgive. I also suspect that we all might need to be reminded that this is the way we are called to love one another. It’s so easy to hang on to past hurts and justify our unloving attitudes. It’s easy to love others conditionally. But that is not the way Christ loves us nor is it the way he desires us to love one another. He has loved us with a love that never fails – may we do the same for those in our life.

In His Wonderful Grace,

PT