Faithful Love

     If you read through the book of Psalms, you might get whiplash. In one minute, the author goes from praising the Lord, to begging for forgiveness, or wallowing in despair, and back to praising the sovereignty of the Lord. Honestly, it reflects our own lives quite well. Numerous books, commentaries, and songs have been written over/inspired by the Psalms. However, one of my favorite renditions is an album by Shane & Shane (Psalms, Vol. 2). 

    The very last song on this album is Psalm 23. In itself, this psalm is beautiful. It's widely quoted, but my favorite verse is verse 6. Depending on your translation, the words will vary, but my Bible says:                                     

"surely goodness and faithful love with pursue me all the days of my life"

    Wow. 

    His faithful love will pursue me. 

    And I deserve none of it. 

    It's often in the small, quiet moments that I'm reminded how great His love truly is. No matter how many worship services I attend, complete with strobe lights and fog machines, or how many Bible studies I go to, I'm always reminded of His faithful love in the quietest and simplest moments. 

    Hosea says "His appearance is as sure as the dawn" (6:3). His faithful love is as sure as the changing of the leaves, and the coming of the seasons. Just as the sun rise and sets, the Lord will never stop loving us. Not only does he love us, but He promises His faithful love. 

    Nothing I can ever do will ever be sufficient enough to express my gratitude and gratefulness, but I can still be sure to extend this love to others. 

    One of the things that I always strive to do is to love others. To some, it comes easier than to others. Am I always perfect at it? Absolutely not. But I know that even through the simple act of smiling at someone in passing or holding open the door, there's the possibility someone could see Christ through me. I might be the only Christian some people encounter, and I want to show the abundant, merciful, faithful love that the Lord has for us all. 

    Because of His faithful love, Jesus, the man who knew no sin, was born into an imperfect world. He gave up His life on the cross, and not only faced death, but persecution, torture, and slander. The only perfect and blameless man to exist died for imperfect people. He did what we could never do, and because of that, I am eternally grateful. Nothing I do could ever truly repay Jesus for His death on the cross, but my life can be a living testament to His faithful love. 

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want. 

He lets me lie down in green pasture;

He leads me beside still water. 

He renews my life; 

He leads me along thee right paths for His name's sake. 
Even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 
I will fear no evil,

for You are with me;

Your rod and your staff - they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord 

as long as I live. 

Psalm 23