BACK IN THE DAY WHEN YOU HAD A GOOD WRITING PEN YOU HAD GOLD IT SEEMED LIKE. NOW A DAYS IF YOU HAVE A GOOD ELECTRONIC DEVICE THAT WON’T SHUT DOWN/FREEZE IN THE MIDDLE OF TYPING, OR ERASE YOUR CONTENT FOR NO REASON, YOU HAVE GOLD LOL.
I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST DISCOVERED ERASABLE PENS. I BEGAN TO USE THOSE INSTEAD OF A PENCIL TO DO MY SCHOOL WORK ASSIGNMENTS SO MY ASSIGNMENTS COULD LOOK MORE PROFESSIONAL (PENCILS WERE MESSY, THEY WOULD SMEAR SOMETIMES AS YOU WRITE, AND OVER TIME WHAT YOU WROTE WOULD FADE). MY INTENT WAS TO WRITE IT DOWN THE FIRST TIME…NO MESS.. NO SMEAR NICE AND CLEAN, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HAD AN OPTION TO ERASE IT, JUST IN CASE I MADE A MISTAKE OR IN CASE WHAT I WROTE DOWN WAS WRONG.
OUTSIDE OF THE REGULAR ASSIGNMENTS I HAD PROJECTS I WOULD HAVE TO DO ON SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION OR POSTER BOARD PAPER WHERE A REGULAR NON-ERASABLE PEN JUST WOULDN’T DO IT. I NEEDED SOMETHING THICKER, WIDER, AND LONGER LASTING. I NEEDED A SHARPIE MARKER. SHARPIE MARKERS WROTE CLEAN THICK AND THERE WAS NO TURNING BACK BECAUSE THEY ARE PERMANENT. IF I MESSED UP, THAT SHEET HAD TO GO IN THE GARBAGE.
I REMEMBER CHATTING BACK AND FORTH WITH MY SIBLINGS ONE TIME AND I RECALL MY ONE BROTHER TELLING US THAT HE LOVED US PERMANENTLY. THAT REALLY TOUCHED ME SOMETHING SPECIAL. IT WAS SUCH A GREAT WAY TO TELL US HE WOULD NEVER STOP LOVING US NO MATTER WHAT. HE WAS SAYING THERE WAS NOTHING WE CAN SAY OR DO TO UNDO HIS LOVE TOWARD US. OF COURSE WE ALL FELT THE SAME AND I EVEN BEGAN TO ADOPT THAT SAYING AND HAVE TOLD WITH OTHERS IN MY LIFE AS WELL.
ONE DAY I GOT TO REALLY THINKING ABOUT LOVING PERMANENTLY. IT REMINDED OF THE PERMANENT MARK A SHARPIE LEAVES AND HOW IT IS NOT ERASABLE. NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU MARK SOMETHING WITH A SHARPIE THAT IS IT. YOU CAN IMAGINE A BABY GETTING HOLD OF A SHARPIE..WATCH OUT. THEN I BEGAN TO BE REMINDED OF THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR US. GOD’S LOVE IS LIKE A SHARPIE. YOU CANNOT ERASE HIS LOVE NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY. OUR LIFE WAS NOT LIKE A REGULAR PIECE OF PAPER WHERE YOU WOULD USE A REGULAR PEN. NO…..OUR LIFE IS LIKE THE HEAVY DUTY CONSTRUCTION PAPER I USED FOR THOSE SCHOOL PROJECTS. GOD HAD TO DEAL WITH THICK HEADS AND HARD HEARTS. THE ONLY KIND OF LOVE SUITABLE THAT WOULD MAKE A CLEAN MARK THAT WOULD NOT FADE AND THAT WOULD STAY PERMANENTLY WOULD BE METAPHORICALLY THE SHARPIE KIND OF LOVE AS IN HIS AGAPE LOVE FOR US.
PAUL ASKED A QUESTION INITIALLY IN ROMANS 8 ASKING WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST. HE CONCLUDED THROUGH A VERY DETAILED CHECK LIST THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD SEPARATE US. IT IS REMARKABLE TO THINK THAT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING CAN SEPARATE ME FROM HIS LOVE. NO MATTER WHAT I DID IN LIFE THAT WENT AGAINST HIS WORD THROUGH MY DISOBEDIENCE, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I MISREPRESENTED HIS KINGDOM, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I RAN AWAY FROM HIS PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I TURNED MY BACK ON HIM. HE NEVER STOPPED LOVING ME. REMEMBER HE ALSO CHASTISES WHO HE LOVES. WHEN I LOOK BACK I REALIZE GOD’S LOVE FOR ME HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH WHO HE IS, NOT WHAT I HAVE DONE OR NOT DONE TO DESERVE SUCH A GREAT LOVE. AND THE SAME FOR YOU.GOD IS NOT PARTIAL.
HE IS WITH US WHEREVER WE GO AND HE IS FOR US. WE ARE PERMANENT IN HIM. HIS WORD SAYS IN ISAIAH THAT WE ARE ENGRAVED IN HIS HAND AND THAT HE WOULD NOT FORGET US.
YOU CAN SEARCH FAR AND WIDE AND YOU WILL NEVER FIND A LOVE LIKE HIS LOVE. MAN’S LOVE FOR US MAY BE PENCILED IN….YOU WILL GET ERASED QUICK, BUT GOD’S LOVE IS A PERMANENT LOVE. A LOVE THAT LASTS FOREVER. AS SOON AS WE COME TO REALIZE THAT GOD IS NOT LIKE MAN AND THAT HE IS NOT A MAN THAT HE SHOULD LIE. THAT HE IS THE LOVER OF OUR SOUL. THAT HIS LOVE IS GREATER THAN ANYTHING WE CAN IMAGINE. THAT HE DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES AND THAT WE ARE HIS CHOICE AND HE IS OUR ONLY OPTION. THAT HIS LOVE IS STEADFAST AND UNSHAKEN TOWARD US. WE WILL BE ABLE TO RECEIVE HIS TANGIBLE SHARPIE LOVE AND LOVE OTHERS PERMANENTLY.
I PRAY THAT BEGINS IN YOUR LIFE TODAY.
PRAYER: GOD I HONOR YOU TODAY AND I HONOR YOUR GREAT LOVE FOR ME. I PRAY YOU WILL HELP ME TO RECEIVE YOUR TANGIBLE LOVE FOR ME TODAY. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU LOVE ME BECAUSE OF WHO YOU ARE NOT BY ANYTHING THAT I HAVE DONE. I PRAY FOR THE STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO TRUST YOUR UNFAILINGFAITHFUL LOVE FOR ME. I HAVE BEEN HURT, I HAVE BEEN BROKEN, I HAVE HURT, AND I HAVE BROKEN, BUT GOD YOUR LOVE THROUGH IT ALL HAS NEVER STOPPED. I AM GRATEFUL AND I THANK YOU FOR THE GRACE TO FORGIVE AND TO LOVE OTHERS BECAUSE OF WHO I AM IN YOU. THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME LOVE PERMANENTLY AMEN.
SCRIPTURES:
PSALM 136:26 (NIV)
26 GIVE THANKS TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN. HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER.
ROMANS 5:8 (NIV)
8 BUT GOD DEMONSTRATES HIS OWN LOVE FOR US IN THIS: WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US.
ISAIAH 49:16 (NIV)
16 SEE, I HAVE ENGRAVED YOU ON THE PALMS OF MY HANDS; YOUR WALLS ARE EVER BEFORE ME.
LAMENTATIONS 3:22-23 (NIV)
22 BECAUSE OF THE LORD’S GREAT LOVE WE ARE NOT CONSUMED,
FOR HIS COMPASSIONS NEVER FAIL.
23 THEY ARE NEW EVERY MORNING;
GREAT IS YOUR FAITHFULNESS.
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