Love Wins - 1 Peter 4:8

1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (NIV)

This is one of my favorite verses in the New Testament. Being a dour Scottish Calvinistic Presbyterian, I often feel that my depravity, according to both Calvin & John Knox, contaminates my faith and deeply separates me from God. Even though I’m a pastor, I feel miserable about my sins and regret many past mistakes. If it wasn’t for Christ’s love and God’s grace, I doubt that I’d ever feel good about myself, but thankfully, the power of love has the ability to overcome my misery and restore me to God’s favor. Or as the Apostle Peter simply put it: love covers over a multitude of sins.

Perhaps you’re feeling bad about your past or weighed down by a mistake you’ve made. Maybe you feel disconnected to God and not good enough for His love. Please don’t despair – God’s love is the greatest power in the entire universe. You can be loved by God; you will be forgiven and you definitely can start over again. How? – because love covers over a multitude of sins – even those that you have committed.

Application: Forget the past, live in this moment of God’s grace and receive Christ’s love every day for the rest of your life. 😊

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the greatest gift in all of our lives – the love of God that You purchased for us on the Cross. Help us this day to share this amazing love with all whom we meet. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship each Sunday at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s psalm drawings based on Psalm 73. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Psalm 73.

June 3 devotional - This is Love

1 John 4:10    This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

            I like to read what the Apostle John has written about faith. Whether it comes from his Gospel writing, his letters, or even the Book of Revelation, John had the gift of writing something succinctly and directly. He was usually not confrontational like Paul; he just wanted people to receive Christ’s message through the power of love.

            His description of love in today’s verse shows us what God did to prove that He truly loved us: God sacrificed His own Son to atone for our sins. Think about it: the Creator of the Universe gave up what was the most precious thing to Him – His own Son – in order to rescue the vilest sinners in the Universe – human beings. I cannot fully fathom why God would do such an awful thing to save us; it just doesn’t make sense. Instead of sacrificing Jesus, God could have destroyed everything that He made, and then have started again, making sure that sin never came into the equation at all. That would have been the easy way out, but God has never been One for taking things easy.

            The hardest thing that God could do in order to save us and restore creation, was to sacrifice His loving, precious, and dearest Son. Only a God who was loving and just could have done that; a capricious demiurge would have backed away from such a terrible sacrifice. True love is not just about embracing, accepting, and encouraging – true love always includes sacrifice, selflessness, and surrender. For love of us, God surrendered His Son to our demented depravity in order to deliver us from ourselves, our sins, and our deaths. For love of His Father, Jesus gave up His life to ensure our salvation, to overcome evil, and to honor God. It sounds crazy to us, but there is a deeper love involved here than we could ever imagine, know, or experience for ourselves.

            As John wrote long ago: This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

What more could God ever do to show that He loves us completely?

Prayer:                        Lord God, we can never fathom the depths of Your amazing and almighty love. To sacrifice Your sinless Son for despicable sinners like us is incomprehensible for us to fully understand. All that we can simply do is gratefully and humbly accept Your remarkable grace and unequaled love. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to make a comment or ask questions about today’s devotion, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s latest drawing called “Surfing Style.” To view a larger version, click on the following link: https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3670/14082073517_ceeae46cc7_b.jpg

Such a Small Word - Mark 12:33

Mark 12:33 To love God with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (NIV)

            One of my favorite groups from the Seventies was a band called ‘Lindisfarne.’ They had some great hits and their best album (yes, I am that old) was called ‘Fog on the Tyne.’ I recently added the album to my playing list from Amazon and listening to it took me back to those wonderful days of my High School years.

            In my opinion, one of the best tracks on the album is called ‘January Song,’ which is about how we all need one another, no matter who we are, what age we have become, or where we live. The lyrics contain a very simple verse, which still speaks to me today:

‘And love is such a small word
For something that is so vast,
But in it lies the future
The present and the past.’

            When Jesus was having a conversation with the teacher of the law in today’s Gospel story (Mark 12:28-34), I think He was trying to convey something similar. Christ was impressed by what the law teacher said in reply to His statement about the Greatest Commandment. The cleric appeared to completely understand what Jesus was expressing. Love of God and loving one another are meant to be combined – it is such a small requirement, and yet it contains everything that we truly need to live faithful, meaningful, and joyful lives on Earth.

Point to ponder

How many people do I truly love? How does that love include God and make the world a better place?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, we all need Your love and need to learn to love everyone. We want to make a difference in our lives, so help us to spread Your love wherever we can and with all whom we meet this day. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

If you would like to listen to Lindisfarne’s ‘January Song,’ you can do so at this Youtube link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5QLKft_a7A

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church website at www.erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is the album cover from Lindisfarne’s ‘Fog on the Tyne.’

Walk in Love - 2 John 1:6

2 John 1:6        And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. (NIV)

            Like most people, I’ll be glad when this Presidential Election is well and truly over. It seems to have brought out the worst in most of us and, unfortunately, has not been a good civil exercise in community building. I’m as guilty as anyone else, so quite recently I stopped making political comments on Facebook and other places in order to maintain both my sanity and friendships with other folks. It is my fervent hope and prayer that after this is all over, we can live and work together as free people, who love their liberties and cherish their relationships.

            Looking at today’s highlighted verse, it seems to me that as Christians, we have a greater responsibility to walk in love and grow that peace. If we get too caught up in party politics and partisan divisiveness then we’ve forgotten the higher road, as well as the greater standard, that we are supposed to follow. In the Christian Church, loving one another is not just a personal elective or individual choice; it’s a command that came straight from Christ’s lips to those who would be His followers and disciples.

            So perhaps the best way to walk in Christ’s love is to begin it today and not to wait for the Election to end. If we treat each other respectfully, faithfully, and lovingly, then we won’t get caught up in the frantic turmoil that usually occurs in the last days before voting ends.

Questions for personal reflection

How has my witness as a Christian been displayed during this campaign? Am I willing to follow Christ’s command to love one another, especially those who support a different candidate?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we pray for our nation like never before. We confess to being polarized by politics and characterized by our candidates. Help us to take a higher path and walk throughout this time in Your love, in order to display Your grace and peace. In Your Holy Name, we humbly confess and sincerely pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is this week’s bulletin cover art for the Church, based on a timely Bible verse from 2 Thessalonians. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Bulletin.