November 3

“We long for human love to bring us peace.  At times it brings great peace and great joy.  But only the love of God brings peace and joy in all things and under all circumstances.”  Eugenia Price, S.P.S., 10/14

This message is not really taught to children.  We tell them about God’s love, but I suspect we spend more time telling them how to behave according to God’s law.  I know I did not emphasize God’s love to my children.  That’s because I didn’t understand it myself. As a Sunday School teacher I taught about God which invariably addressed this fact--God is love.  We sang the little song “God is so Good”, and I told them stories of how God cared for His people, but I know I never told them that only God can love us the way we need to be loved.  I now finally understand this myself.  In fact, I’ve finally realized that the last bastion is love of oneself.  It’s when you finally realize that you don’t even love yourself as much as God does that you are finally able to rely only on God’s love (1 John 4:19).  If we are honest with ourselves I think we’d all have to admit that we come into this world believing that it’s our right to be loved.  We then set out to get that love in any way we can.  Because we are so greatly influenced by the world we go about it in the wrong way until someone either tells us that only God can love us the way we need to be loved or when we hit rock bottom and have no where to look but up.  Unfortunately, not everyone lands on his or her back.  Those who don’t never do see God.

“Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:6, 7