By Pastor Bobby Schuller
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."
-Psalm 118:1
In much of the Apostle Paul's life, he leads what we might call a difficult existence. We read one story after another about Paul being beaten, bitten by snakes, disease-ridden. And in the end, Paul, as an old man, even dies a martyr.
In the midst of his difficulties, we discover that Paul sings hymns and praises to God. He had incredible happiness, joy, and a flourishing life. In one instance, his joy was so big, so amazing that it caused the gates of a prison to open. How could somebody like Paul have real joy even in the midst of that kind of unjust suffering?
Paul tells us in Romans, that we've been given a hope. The hope is the love of God that is shown through the cross. Paul shares with us about how God sent his only Son Jesus Christ into the world to Paul, to you, and to me. That means God loves you as much as he loves Jesus. If God loved Jesus more than he loves you, he wouldn't have sent Jesus to die for you. That means God loves Paul, God loves Jesus, God loves Mary, God love you, God loves everyone reading this devotion. He loves all of us as much as he loves Jesus.
That means that God treasures you. God values you. God is thinking good things about you. God believes in you. God wants the best for you. You are a part of God's big Meta narrative, his big story, his big picture. That means that God's love endures for you.
Prayer: Dear Lord, how I treasure your enduring love. It's not something that I have earned or even deserve, but you love me anyway, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Amen.
Reflection: What emotion wells up in your soul when you embrace the concept of God's enduring love?
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