Ephesians 1:13

Particularly during these very stressful times, moments of beauty are especially valuable, “And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,” Psalm 90:17 reveals, “and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.”

“Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work,” Psalm 62, verse 12, clearly teaches. This is a vital instruction from God’s Word. We are responsible for our lives and souls, both of which we are daily growing. “Be not deceived,” Galatians 6:7 admonishes, “God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

“We love him,” I John 4:19 teaches, “because he first loved us.”
This is love for God in Jesus Christ that must not diminish, but grow ever stronger, as in the words of that mighty Christian Hymn, Faith of Our Fathers, “…in spite of dungeon, fire, and sword” (or worldwide pandemic.) We are in Christ for the long haul. “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you,” Jesus said in John 15:9, “continue ye in my love.”

We belong to Jesus Christ. We are committed to Jesus Christ. We are most alive in Jesus Christ!

The love we share in faith with, and for, Jesus Christ, is certainly a thing of beauty to God. Our love for God is not something that we have made by or for our own initiative, but something beautifully nurtured and cherished as a gift from above that it is. “Keep yourselves in the love of God,” Jude 21 shouts across the ages, “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

Challenges abound as we journey through life, whether through Valentine’s Day or in personal tests of faith. As we grow in trust and devotion to one another, let’s not neglect our own trust and devotion to Jesus Christ, our “first love,” “In whom ye also trusted,” Ephesians 1:13 affirms, “after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.”