Love

My husband and I know a man from India named "Prem" which means love. God loves Prem passionately - as he does all the people of India, which I like being reminded of periodically. In his usual friendly fashion, my husband befriended that man Prem. As a result, we were privileged to meet a wonderful group of people from India. This is just one aspect of my husband's personality that I appreciate. He tends to see something good in almost everyone he meets because he sees them as God's children - and they tend to love him back.

Tomorrow is my husband's birthday. And, although this has been a terrifically challenging year for us, I am actually grateful to people who have been directly responsible for some of those challenges placed before us. I am grateful because what is absolutely important to Dave and me has been clarified: loving each other, serving God and rejoicing in all the good He has done in our lives. And we have had incredible opportunities to minister love, compassion and hope to others who are experiencing difficulties as well.

God is the absolute essence and power of love. And we rejoice knowing that we will be privileged to spend eternity with Him. We know this with certainty! We know it deep inside! We are saved through grace by faith, and definitely not based on our own works. And, despite all our failings, nothing shall separate us from the love of God. I love the Apostle Paul's eloquent chapter in Romans:
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Just as it is written,
"FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Because of this assurance, I can say that my husband will have the happiest birthday ever and we look forward with confidence to the future because God's plans for us are good. "The Lord delights in the prosperity of his servant."