God of the loving touch, touch the life of this dear reader so that in turn, s/he may touch someone else. In Christ Jesus' name, amen.
It was years ago at a meeting prior to my involvement in yet another Walk to Emmaus as a team member, a dear brother shared his life story. In many ways it was a tragic life made so by personal decisions that proved Jesus' statement in John 10:10; we let the "thief" come in to "steal, kill, and destroy" our lives, but he shared how someone told him, "Re-read John 3:16 and instead of using the word "world," put your first name in there, so it will read, "For God so loved __________ that He gave his only begotten son..." It was powerful then and it's powerful now. We can try to hold God at arm's length and say, yes, God loves the world, but it gets much closer than that; God loves me, and God loves you. And you know what, God even knows our names. Talk about a personal touch!
And that's crazy! In a world that celebrates celebrities and glamorous people, it is easy to feel insignificant or unimportant, but just the opposite is true: You and I matter so much to God, God loves us. Just this Sunday at our early service and at our NuLife service I asked those present to do something some churches do: Find three people, hug them, and tell them, "I love you and there's nothing you can do about it!" That made for some laughs and more contact and interaction that I believe we're used to, but at the end of the service I added, "God loves you and me so much, and you know there is something we can do about it. Go out and be people of love."
Closing thoughts from Paul, who knew God's love, " Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.
PRAYER: Thank You, dear God, for Your precious love. Help me today to do something about it: Let me truly be a person of love. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
