“Whom having not seen ye love.”1 Peter 1:8

We have never seen the glorified body of Jesus, but we have believed what His word declares of Him, and believing we love Him. As the only-begotten Son of God, who was exalted, dignified, and glorified from everlasting; as the voluntary Saviour of poor lost sinners, who became incarnate, suffered, bled and died for them. We love His adorable person, His countenance is majesty, His heart is love, His hand is omnipotence, His eye is bountifulness, His bowels are compassion, and His presence and smile are heaven. We love His precious salvation, in its freeness, completeness, and glory. We love His delightful promises, which anticipate our wants, meet all our wishes, and fill our souls with peace. We love His throne, where He meets us, attends to our requests, and blesses us indeed. We love His holy precepts, which exhibit His authority, display His love, and call us to holiness. We love His heaven-born family, who wear His likeness, are the excellent of the earth, and resemble the children of a king. Oh to love Him more! To love Him with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength! To manifest our love to Him by holy actions, and a useful life!–James Smith

A bleeding Saviour, seen by faith;
A sense of pardoning love;
A hope that triumphs over death,
Give joys like those above.

Reading the Bible is great, but sometimes we rush through it so that we forget what we read almost as soon as we read it. It is better to read one verse and meditate on it than to read an entire chapter and forget it. Most would agree that nothing is more important than the Bible, but their actions say something else. They hurry through the Word so they can get on to something of far less importance, and fail to profit from it. If we are to reap from what we read we must meditate on it.

“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”–Rom. 5:7-8

We find it easy to love people who are easy to love. In reality, we tend to like people who are like us. Furthermore, we assume that God’s love is bound by the same standards. If He loves us, we assume it must mean that we are not all that bad. Not only is this view false in every way, it destroys a deep appreciation for the amazing beauty of God’s love—that He loved the unlovely, and died for the unloving.

D. A. Carson illustrated the difference between our vision of love and God’s:

Charles and Susan are walking down the beach, hand in hand. They’ve kicked off their shoes and the wet sand squishes between their toes. Charles turns to Susan, gazes deeply into her large hazel eyes and says, “Susan, I love you; I really do.” What does he mean? If we assume he has decency and Christian virtue, the least he could mean is something like, “Susan, you mean everything to me. I can’t live without you. Your smile paralyzes me from fifty yards; your sparkling good humor, your beautiful eyes, the scent of your hair—everything about you transfixes me . . . I really love you.”

Or do his words I love you mean something like, “Susan, in spite of the fact that your nose is so large it belongs in cartoons, your hair has enough grease to lubricate an eighteen-wheeler, your knees make a camel look elegant, and your personality would scare Attila the Hun, I really love you.”

I’m guessing Charles meant the first one! Yet this is how human love differs from God’s love. When Romans 5 tells us that God “loved us,” it doesn’t mean that God looked down on us and said. “You mean everything to me. I can’t live without you: your personality, your witty conversation, your beauty, your smile— everything about you.”

Not a chance!  When God says, “I love you,” He is saying, “Listen—your nose and greasy hair, your disjointed knees and selfish personality, your wretched sinfulness—all make you disgustingly unattractive to Me. But I love you because I have chosen to love you, through My Son, your Savior.”

My friend, if you think you deserve God’s love, even to the smallest degree, you will never feel totally secure in Him. You will live in perpetual fear that you might do something undeserving of His love and, if that is the case, then you definitely will!

Don’t be afraid. This is the amazing beauty of God’s love toward us, that “while we were still sinners, He died for us.” The truth is, there isn’t anything you can do that will ever change His mind. His love for you is the same yesterday, today . . . and forever!

Thank the Lord for loving you so much that He not only chose to die for you while you were still in your sins, but He chooses to love you every day in spite of your sin. Pray that He will give you strength to obey His command to love others in the same way He has loved you.(Stephen Davey)

“And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.”–Mark 14:4-5

It is very easy to yield to the temptation to criticize others, and find fault with their way of serving Christ. There are many motives which come in to promote this unchristian habit. We are all prone to be envious of others, and hence to form unjust opinions of what they do. One of the last graces to ripen in a Christian, is usually that of rejoicing in another’s good work. It is very hard, too, to learn our Lord’s lesson: “Do not judge—or you too will be judged.” It seems natural, too, as sad as the confession may be, for us to disparage what others do, and to underestimate it.

But we should learn the sinfulness of murmuring against others. We see how unlovely, how unChristlike, it was in these first disciples. Is it any less so in us when we allow ourselves to criticize our fellow-Christians, finding fault with the way they show their love for Christ? Even if they do not do their work as we do ours—have we a right to judge them and blame them, and speak unkind things about what they have done? Between them and their Master, rests the matter, and it is not our duty to make ourselves judges and condemners of their acts. They are responsible for what they do—not us. There are few lessons more needed than this, for there are few faults more common than that which we see here in these first disciples.(J R Miller)

“Be content with such things as ye have; for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.“– Heb 13:5.

Such things as ye have, plus! The Greek literally means that there is within us an undeveloped power only awaiting the call, and there will be enough. I may be speaking to people who wish that they had more money, or more brains, or more influence. They dream of the lives they would live, of the deeds they would do, if only they were better circumstanced. But God says No! You have present within the narrow confines of your own reach the qualities that the world is wanting. Use them, and be content with the things that you have. You have never explored the resources of your own soul.

“Such things as ye have“–Moses had only a rod, but a rod with God can open the Red Sea. David had only five pebbles, but these with God brought down Goliath. The woman had only a little pot of oil, but that pot of oil with God paid all her debts. The poor widow was scraping the bottom of the barrel, but with God the handful of meal kept her child, herself, and the prophet until the rain came. The boy had only five tiny loaves and two small fish, but with Jesus they were enough for five thousand men, beside women and children. Estimate what you have got, and then count God into the bargain! He never lets go your hand. He will never leave nor forsake those that trust in Him!

Therefore be content! The most glorious deeds that have blessed and enriched the world have not been done by wealthy men. Our Lord had none of this world’s goods; the apostles had neither silver nor gold; Carey was only a poor cobbler; Bunyan a travelling tinker; Wesley left two silver spoons. It is not money, but human love and God that is needed. Therefore do not be covetous; do not hoard, but give! Be strong and content. With good courage say: “The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear“–for life or death, for sorrow or joy! –F B Meyer

The soul that to Jesus has fled for repose,

He cannot, He will not, desert to its foes.

That soul, though all hell should endeavour to take,

He’ll never, no never, no never forsake!   AMEN.