Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are here. The first 56 volumes are compiled into the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
Hi, everyone, thanks for joining today’s study. Once again, the topic was provided by my “Editor-in-Chief,” who also happens to be the Creator of the Universe.
Over the past seven years, as I have written these studies, I have never taken the Lord’s intervention for granted. Instead, I feel blessed when He sends His love through a topic He wants me to learn from, a message that soothes my soul when I am under duress. The Lord also knows some readers need that same message. Therefore, I am especially blessed when readers comment or email to confirm that my study topic was exactly what they needed to hear.
So, as the headline reads, let’s seek God’s love through His Word. With Easter Sunday just past, this topic feels like a timely coincidence. While I experienced the initial crisis during Holy Week, a verse that popped into my mind has stayed with me ever since:
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). That is why Paul is my favorite writer, and I love this verse too:
“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
These verses remind us that Christ’s love is constant and everlasting, and that we can lean on Him and walk with Him when we are being tested, betrayed, attacked, or suffering, or even when we feel abandoned by Him.
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While experiencing any or all of those feelings, I have found that the Lord sends a sign, a message, or a strong signal that He is with me. I call it a “heavenly life raft,” which proves that He knows what I am experiencing and that I must trust Him to deliver me to a safe shore, but on His timetable.
My go-to daily phrase in good and bad times is “Jesus I Trust in You.” And a favorite Scripture is: “What man meant for evil, God meant for good.” That verse spoken by Joseph to his brothers, who years earlier had sold him into slavery, reads in its entirety:
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20).
Joseph understands God’s long-term perspective. When an ungodly person or group perpetuates evil against another, God’s greater purpose is ultimately revealed, and His truth prevails. For us to weather this kind of storm, God tests our levels of patience and trust in Him. Can anyone relate?
Now, let’s review some passages about God's love, which act like a warm blanket on a cold night, starting with a foundational message from God in Deuteronomy:
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9). And a simple message to remember:
“Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:26). Let’s review that “steadfast” means resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering:
“Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you” (Psalm 63:3).
Next is about God’s love as recorded in Jeremiah:
“The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jeremiah 31:3).
Do you feel that God loves you with an everlasting love? Honestly, I don’t always feel that way. As a flawed human, I get entangled in my situation and lose sight of His everlasting love. Paul wrote: “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). So, we must try to do better.
The following verse is the essence of God’s love embodied in an action plan. Repeat, repeat as needed. It can be coupled with “What man means for evil God means for good” to help us maintain a long-term perspective when short-term plans go awry:
“'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Turning to the New Testament, Jesus famously said:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
Therefore, if we love one another, then we should not initiate evil acts against each other, right? If only humankind abided by Jesus’s commandment, what a different world this would be. Since John’s verse is so often read and quoted, we can be dulled to its meaning. God’s love is why humans exist. He created us out of love so that we can glorify Him with our love for Him and His Son forever and ever. However, the evil world intervenes, and sometimes those in positions of power have ungodly agendas. Thus, universally, we must incorporate this verse into our behaviors:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And this verse, too:
“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8).
This quick study is only a jumping-off point for seeking God’s love in times of duress. Currently, if you are in that situation, remind yourself of what Paul so beautifully wrote:
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
I love that verse so much that I engraved the citation on our wedding cups. In our life together, I knew there would be times when we would need to be reminded of the big picture.
Blessings to all who are touched by this divinely inspired study, to help us flawed humans through challenging situations where seeking God’s love is always the correct course of action. Amen!
Thanks to readers who send heartfelt emails. I try to respond to each one.
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer. Her book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible" reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2," reprints Vols. 57 –113. Order it here.
Myra is also the Executive Director of the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit. You can help support our six-month exhibit at the Basilica in Orlando, Florida. Contact: Myraadams01@gmail.com
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