Mon. June 15
"TAKE IN...THE EXTRAVAGANT DIMENSIONS OF CHRIST'S LOVE." (EPHESIANS 3:18 TM)
God's incredible love for us
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George Matheson was told by his doctor that he was going blind. Not to be denied, he pursued his studies, graduating from the University of Glasgow in 1861 at the age of nineteen. By the time he finished graduate seminary studies, he'd lost his sight. To make matters worse, his fiancee returned the engagement ring with a note, "I cannot go through life bound by chains of marriage to a blind man." Matheson never married, and never fully recovered from his broken heart. He became powerful and poetic pastor, led a full and inspiring life, yet occasionally the pain of loneliness flared up, as it did later at his sister's wedding. The ceremony brought back memories of the love he had lost. In response, he turned to the incredible love of God for comfort and penned these words on June 6, 1882: O love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depth its flow may richer, fuller be.
Consider the stubborn love of Hosea for his wife Gomer. Hopping from one lover to another, she ruined his life. Destitute, she was placed for sale in a slave market. Guess who stepped forward to buy her. Hosea, who'd never removed his wedding band. God uses this story to illustrate His steadfast love for us. He told Hosea: "Love her the way I, God, love the Israelite people" (Hos 3:1 TM). God loves you with an incredible love. You can't win it being winsome, or lose it by being a loser. But you can be blind and resist it. Don't!
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