"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Three little words which mean so much. But how often do we see or hear someone say "I Love You" and it's just that... three little words. It was everywhere for a while, that cute I <3 U , just as in the 60s there was the peace sign. All very cute and trendy but when you say those words, how much do you really mean them? You can't speak simply of love, love is greater than mere words.
The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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."
I don't know about you, but when I think of what these scriptures tell us love is... I realize I've only had one great love in my life and that is the love affair that I have with my savior, Jesus Christ. You see, my flesh and my heart have failed me and others many times but God has always remained constant, strengthening me for whatever I was to face. God never abandons, he never pushes his way in but simply is always there. He is forever faithful. I believe that in our flesh we always have the best of intentions to never fail those we love, but it's in our flesh that we often do. It's in moments of life that we forget what the scripture defines for us as love. It doesn't mean that we don't love... it just means there's a greater love.
The kind of covenantal love that is defined in scripture is called Agape, the unconditional love that God demonstrates for me and for you. He holds nothing back and in return expects nothing. That is the kind of love that we can rest in, trust in and count on above all other love. In this agape love, I know that I will fail and my God is still going to love me... his love is limitless and has no boundaries or conditions, his love never ends.
In recent weeks, I've been witness to this great agape love over and over again, not just from God the Father but through the sweet Holy Spirit that dwells within my church family. We watched Psalm 73:26 in action through a young family in our church. One of the members of our church; his flesh and heart failed, but God was the strength of his heart and his portion forever. His family stayed close to his side alongside a whole host of angels sent down through the LOVE and PRAYERS of the faith-filled. We were able to witness, share in and rejoice as our brother's heartbeat returned to his chest. As I closed my eyes each time to pray for Tony and his family, I simply envisioned the heart (love) of Christ cocooning around the physical heart of him until the point that God became his very heartbeat. God saw beyond that moment when his flesh and heart would fail and became the strength he needed to be with his family again. Their lives, our lives, are forever changed by three little words... I <3 U and one great big miracle. God gave the trendy little symbol I'd seen so many times and turned it around to something greater. He showed his amazing agape love.
God continues to tell us, I <3 U my child. As my pastor often says, "Do you see it?" He doesn't just say those three little words, he delights in them and in you. He wants to share in a great love affair with you, one that will never leave you brokenhearted or feeling alone or abandoned but one where you feel secure and can rest in his care for all of eternity.
Under His Wings,
Heather
