Expressions of Love
During Christine & Warren’s wedding reception, Chris turned to me and said “Isn’t love wonderful?!” Yes, it is. And his comments came as a result of all the expressions of that love going on between the family members as well as friends. Is it not evident in the Bible that God favors such expressions of love? Of course, the love between a man and woman is very verbal and expressive in the Song of Solomon. But think of the many times love between God and His people as well as between people is expressed. Very strong phrases are used. “One thing have I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after....” the Psalmist wrote. Turn almost anywhere in the book of Psalms, and these expressions will arise. Read Jeremiah 2:2 as the Lord tells Israel “I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not own...” “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah also writes. “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires,” Isaiah writes. “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem,” again, Isaiah writes. It would takes pages to write all the expressions of love God speaks towards His people. On the other hand are many expressions of love coming from the believers lips. “I will extol thee my God and my King...will praise thy name for ever and ever...” is but a line representing the hundreds of such phrases of praise and affection from the believer to the Lord. Why so? Because He loves us and we love Him because He first loved us. And love is wonderful. It is full of expression. Let us not wait until a wedding, funeral, or crisis to express our love. I am afraid we express it not enough, even in this day of “soupiness” and “feigned” affection. True genuine expressions are powerful and wonderful Let us all abound in them towards the Lord and towards our loved ones. I doubt we can do it too much, unless it is feigned (pretend). And think, is not eternity’s atmosphere somewhat revealed in that it begins with the marriage supper of the Lamb?! Yes,"let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready,” he writes. Let us then begin the music here. Let us show our affections here. And how much more we will do this when brought to perfection in the presence of the Lord?! “Peter, lovest thou me? Yes, Lord you know that I love you!”