That is something that someone would say to express ‘true love.’ Someone you honor and respect receives this title. And if we are the ones that God has chosen as His people, and considering all that He has done for us, we must acknowledge that He is the love of our life. And in return, all that he asks from us is, respect, admiration, gratitude, and submission.
But that’s where the devil makes that hard. He knows our weaknesses and he knows how to manipulate us dragging us further from our heavenly Father. Farther away from the one who is our ‘True Love’.
We read that our God is the epitome of love and that He is faithful love! In Psalm 57:10 and 86:15, we read of the depth and abounding nature of His love. The love that God has demonstrated toward us, along with his compassion and consistent care, its one that we are not physically and humanly capable of possessing or, to be honest, understanding. Having the love of Christ is difficult, and having a faithful, enduring love and striving to remain faithful and true to our ‘True Love’, can be hard in this world in which we live in. However, when we think on a much broader scope, was it ever easy for anyone? Regardless of the time period, regardless of the living conditions, regardless of state of the world?
In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 7), he addresses the struggle that they are having with sexual immorality. He addresses both those who are single and struggling with that sexual desire, as well as those who are single and not tempted in that way. To those who are struggling, he encourages them to go ahead and marry. Sexual sin is not a ‘new thing’ that has recently been ‘discovered’. Christians then and now struggle with it. Sin has been in this world since Genesis 3. Temptation is ever present, and God’s word even tells us that, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (I Corinthians 10:13)
It is hard to not to be distracted by the things of this world that are constantly put in front of us. However, the blessings and love of God are present here as well. Take a minute and turn your gaze up from the ground and SEE it. It’s there, we (sadly) make the choice to not enjoy and reflect on it.
Every day, we make choices. Some of them, will bring us closer to Christ, and some will take us further away from Him. We always have a choice. One choice could make us stronger, more resilient and draw us closer to the safety and unconditional love of God. The other will keep us stagnant and pull us closer to the place void of His presence. We read of it in scripture, but see a more vividly painted picture in the book of Revelation (read about the ‘lake of fire’ in Rev. 20:14-15).
Everything we do, is driven by something. Passion, desire, and a will to have something that we don’t necessary need. A want for something or a love for someone that doesn’t draw us closer to God. It reminds me of the song “The Greatest Commands” and the soprano’s words as they quote Luke chapter 10, “…love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind…“ God IS love and He is the epitome of what ‘True Love’ is. But do we treasure our ‘True Love?’ Do we take Him and what He’s done for us for granted? Will we love Him with all our heart, soul, strength and mind?
I love my family — my parents and my brothers. I love my boyfriend, my friends and all of my brothers and sisters that I am so blessed to have in Christ. And I love those who are not yet in Christ’s family. However, and I believe this with all my heart, God is the reason I love all of these people. Why? The answer is simple. “Because He first loved me…” Psalm 139:13 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
“Wuv…Twu wuv will fowow you foweva…so tweasure your wuv.”
I’m probably one of the few people who does not particularly believe in the idea of ‘love at first sight’, but I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for those Hallmark movies that make it seem so realistic and possible to achieve. For the longest time, I had in my mind that somehow, someway, I would fall in love in one of the ways that I had seen on so many Hallmark movies. Eventually, that idea fizzled out and I began to give up on the idea of ‘Love at first sight’ and even on the idea of ‘True Love’. The result of that caused me to turn my focus not just to my school work at the time, but my responsibilities as one of the spiritual leaders for the Freed-Hardeman University Chorale. I began immersing myself into more in depth bible study and, at times, conversations with various people inside and outside of that group, of whom, I consider to be some of my closest friends and spiritual family. I began to realize that the more I immersed myself into studying the Bible, the less I felt the need to be receiving love, as much as I had the desire to show the love that I had gained in my heart for others. As soon as that happened I found within my heart a desire to really show others just a sampling of what the ‘True Love’ of God looked like. I started feeling more fulfilled and happier with my life than I can ever remember feeling and before I could blink twice, God sent me a blessing that, for the past 8-9 years, I can remember praying for. I would not say that my boyfriend and I are a perfect match by any means, but as he so eloquently put it just recently, “We may not be a match made in heaven, but we’re a match made FOR heaven!” God’s love for us is more than just ‘True Love’, its Everlasting Love.
God’s love is a never ending love that, if we give it the opportunity, will prove just that. His love is shown to us in many ways, each and every day. His love is letting us make mistakes. His love is granting us the things we ask for. His love is sometimes letting us reap the consequences of our decisions. As odd as it may seem to us, and to others who are learning about Christ, the ultimate showing of God’s love is shown to us is in scripture by letting His Son, Jesus Christ, die for us (Matthew 26-27; Mark 15; Luke 22-23; and John 18-19). Nothing and no one would ever be able to match that kind of love. Giving up your most precious possession. The thing that you hold the most dear. Letting that go, facing the world, enduring all kinds of ridicule and frustration, all because of that thing you cherished so much.
If you were not able to interpret the quote at the beginning of this, that was a quote from the movie The Princess Bride, during the wedding scene near the end. In “English” it translates, “Love, true love, will follow you forever…so treasure your love.” Yes, we will have things that we ‘love’ or really care for as we go throughout the years of our lives, but that is dangerous ground if we do not realize that the love we should really be concerned about and focused on is our True Love, Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
match by any means, but as he so eloquently put it just recently, “We may not be a match made in heaven, but we’re a match made FOR heaven!” God’s love for us is more than just ‘True Love’, its Everlasting Love.