September 3

Everlasting Love

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever (Psalm 136:1).

Scripture: Psalm 136:1-9

Song: “The Love of God”

I have a strange fascination with abandoned, decaying houses out in the country. Maybe it’s because I grew up on a small farm, but I can picture the family working hard to make a living off the land. I can almost hear the laughter, tears, arguments, prayers, songs and words of love that once filled the empty rooms. I wonder about the joys, the heartaches and the eventual destinies of the people who once made their home there. I always choke up as I imagine all the life that went on in what’s now nothing more than an empty shell.

A hollow, decaying house serves as a reminder that nothing earthly lasts forever. People grow old and die. Seasons of life pass by without us noticing. Roles and relationships change and end. Our greatest accomplishments and our worst disappointments fade into dim memories. But one thing will always endure.

God loved us before we were born. He cared for us before we ever gave Him a thought. That same love that took Him to the cross to die for our sins will carry us through this life and into eternity. Once we become His child, nothing we do can ever make His love fade or waver. When the temporary nature of this earthly life causes us pain, we can hold on to the joy of knowing God’s enduring love.

Loving Father, I want to hold on to earthly things with a light grasp so that I can focus on sharing Your everlasting love with others who don’t yet know You. In Christ, amen.