Love 

   “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in Him.” (1 John 4: 16) 

   The bible, from cover to cover, is a love story.  It is the story of the intense and everlasting love of God for us and of our efforts to return His love.  We can never love as He loves in this life, but we can love to the best of our ability.

   Not only is the bible a love story it is the story of matrimony, a wedding between God and His people.  He loves His people as a husband is to love his wife and a wife her husband.  In marriage we vow to love our spouse until we are parted by death, but we often fail to uphold those vows.  God never betrays His vow of love and fidelity.  Over and over the Israelites sinned against Him; over and over He forgave them.  Over and over we sin against Him; over and over He forgives us.  Love such as this is what we are to strive for in our lives.

   The greatest love of all was seen on a cross on Calvary.  The Son of God, Jesus Christ the Lord, gave His very life that we might have eternal life in God’s heavenly kingdom.  He was willing to become like us except in sin so that He could lead us to salvation.  He paid the price for our sins, a price that we are unable to pay for ourselves.

   “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3: 16).  The story is one of love; God’s love for us and our meager attempts to love Him in return.  He doesn’t ask perfection in our love for we are an imperfect people.  What He asks is that we love Him as best we can and strive to love Him more and more each day.