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In this series, "God's Love in You", we've been learning what genuine love looks like, the kind of love that can only come from God, the kind of love that will grow in us as we stay connected to Jesus Christ, our "vine". The focus of the final two parts of this series will be on true-life stories that help us envision the kind of love that God has for us, the kind we are asked to demonstrate to one another.
Jesus is the only one who always loved everyone genuinely, and Jesus says, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthews 11:28-30 MSG)
I have taken Jesus at His word many, many times, and each time, He has come to help me, to comfort me with His genuine love.
Although I knew my father was ill, no one warned us that his time was near. Because I lived in Canada, and he, in Belgium, I couldn't just drop in to visit on a regular basis. Nonetheless, I really wanted to see him one last time, and I was devastated when we received the call that he had passed away. We boarded a plane and flew immediately to Belgium. We figured he had died suddenly in his sleep. Imagine our disappointment to learn that he had been in the hospital for several days, and no one had told us about his change in health...Apparently my brother told my mom to, "not bother Rob"! And in so doing, he stole from me any possibility of telling my father goodbye one last time.
This was really hard on me. There is something vitally important in being able to say goodbye to someone. I spent a lot of time crying in my wife's loving arms. But my wife wasn't the only one who was there with me. Jesus came through. He poured out His genuine love to me, and Matthew 11:28-30 became my favorite Bible verse. Through all of this, I could almost hear His voice: "I am with you Rob and I will always be with you. This is not the end. I will always be with you forever and ever."
This is the model of love that the Holy Spirit can make grow in our hearts if we seek it. It isn't love that keeps a grieving son from saying his last goodbyes; it's that comforting, loving, accepting presence that stands by us in the midst of whatever it is we are going through.
No one can help us like Jesus. He is love, and He knows how to help us. He is my closest friend. I will follow Him anywhere. I trust solely in Jesus.
Join us next week for one last example of God's Love in us, taken from Mark 5.
Rob Chaffart
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