“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
~ 1 Corinthians 13:13
My husband designed my wedding ring. He took great pains to perfect it, traveling back and forth to the out-of-town jeweler. He told me that he was nervous when he went to pick it up for two reasons. The first was to do with the fact that it would be his initial time seeing it. Before this, he had only seen the wax mould that took shape from the explanations and drawings he had given the jeweler. So whatever the end result, it was now made in gold. Second, once paid for, there was no turning back!
On August 17th, 1991, on a horse-drawn buggy amid the Plains of Abraham, and on bended knee (couldn’t leave that part out!), Ralph proposed. I was so elated, I just giggled and giggled and forgot to say yes! He had to ask me for my answer, and when I did say yes, he slid the ring on my finger. A short while later, he asked if I liked it since I still had not closely viewed the token. Even in the dim light of night, I could see the ring was beautiful.
But it wasn’t so much the ring I loved; it was the person who gave it.
There is another love story that goes back more than two thousand years but spans the ages. It is the story of God’s love for humanity. It is a love that is personal, offered to each of His children individually, and dramatically demonstrated by a single act that changed history. It’s the story of a Man who gave up everything, even His very life, for you and I because of how immeasurably He loves us. It’s the story of the cross.
Many wear a silver or gold cross around their neck on a chain. The cross is used in the logos of many Christian organizations. Numerous Christian churches have a large cross at the front of the sanctuary. It is a symbol and a reminder of that day when limitless love was demonstrated and our ransom paid.
But it’s not so much the cross we love; it’s the Person who hung on it.
The preparations were in place from the beginning of time. The love story already written. Jesus would walk into the midst of humanity and leave nothing unaccomplished before His final moment. He knew His end. He dragged His cross and His weary, heartsick body to Calvary where He gave Himself up to die in our place. Ever beaconing, with arms outstretched, He hung. Even His last breath was a sigh of love when He said, “It is finished.” He had completed what He came to do. There was never a greater love than this! A love for His Bride…you and I.
There is One who loves you more than you can fully comprehend and who longs to draw you to Himself. I bless you that as you surrender to His love and trust Him more completely, you will know the freedom that proceeds from living richly in Him.
Melanie Stevenson 