Thought for November 7, 2023

  •  1805: Lewis and Clark sight the Pacific Ocean 
  • 1811: William Henry Harrison defeats Tecumseh at Tippecanoe--a campaign slogan is born
  • 1814: Peter Wu Guosheng, Chinese convert, is executed after leading 128 family and friends to Christ--last words, "Heaven, my true home."
  • 1874: First cartoon depicting Republicans as elephants
  • 1876: Meharry Medical College formed
  • 1880: Edgar Young [E.Y.] Mullins baptized--became President of Southern Seminary and author of the Baptist Faith and Message
  • 1916: Jeannette Rankin elected to the House--first woman
  • 1918: Robert Goddard demonstrates solid propellant rockets
  • 1931: Mao proclaims Chinese Peoples' Republic
  • 1967: Corporation for Public Broadcasting bill signed by LBJ
  • 1991: Magic Johnson reveals he has HIV
  • 2012: Maine, Maryland and Washington approve same-sex marriage
  • Born: Marie Curie, Leon Trotsky, Billy Graham, Al Hirt, Jean Shrimpton, Joni Mitchell, Calvin Borel [multiple Kentucky Derby winner], 
  • Died: Butch Cassidy, Eleanor Roosevelt, Steve McQueen, Joe Frazier, Janet Reno
Thought:
1 John 3:1 should motivate and inspire me today. It tells me about God's love for me, my value in Him. And it explains why I may be disliked, hated, rejected, maligned by the world.

How great is the love of God? Ponder that for a moment today. How great is the love of God? Tell me the measure. John tells me that the love of God is so great that the Creator of the universe; the God of eternity; the pure, holy, perfect, righteous King gave His only son so that I could become His adopted child and inherit His riches in glory. Me--impure, defiled, rebellious, unholy, unrighteous, unworthy, undeserving--Me. How great is the love of God? He gave a perfect Son to death on the cross to adopt a prodigal son. How great is the love of God? 

God's great love challenges me today. 
  • Am I a conduit of that great love? Does the love He poured out on me flow through me to those around me?
  • Why would I measure my worth by any other standard that the love of God for me? I can't measure my worth by my job, my accomplishments, my education, my finances, my possessions, my position, my fame, my looks, my talents---none of those define my worth. The love of God measures my worth. So with Paul I can consider all these things as rubbish compared with knowing Jesus.
  • Why would I worry about how people think about me when I am following Christ--if they knew Him they would think differently, act differently, respond differently. So my job is to live a life that leads them to Him. 
John must have been thinking about his own gospel when he wrote this letter--John 3:16--for God so loved the world. How great is the love of God? Two songs come to mind--"I'm so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me; I'm so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves even me." Or "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so, little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so." Today, you might be singing "Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou my God, should die for me?' Or "How deep the Father's love for us, How vast beyond all measure, that He should give His only Son, to make a wretch His treasure." 

Today, just think about how great is the love of God? It compels a response in my life.

Blessings
Larry


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