They say that
familiarity breeds contempt. It
certainly gives rise to neglect. The
most famous verse in the Bible is one we too easily pass over. We know what it says so well that we do not
really know what it says. It has become
the foundation of our theology, but what does it really mean?
First of all, it
says that God loves us. Even this we
have linguistically dissected to the point where it is just so many word roots
lying cut up on the operating table. We
have heard that the original Greek for “love” means brotherly love, and so it
does, but did you know it also means to caress and to cherish? We have made something so lofty of this
verse, so out of reach that we have forgotten that love reaches down from on
high to embrace us. Take away the
exalted, theological sentiment for a moment and think about good, old-fashioned
love. Remember what that is? That is how God feels about you.
How does that
make you feel? Seriously, what do you
think about that? If this were the
person you had longed to notice you, you know exactly how you would react. You would be on the moon.
God, it is so
hard for me to grasp that You love me.
Maybe it is the enemy getting in the way. Maybe it is just too big for my mind to
grasp. Open my heart and bypass my mind
so that I may be filled with the love You promise. In the name of the One Who brings that love,
Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Copyright © 2013 by Steven R. Perkins
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