"What a man desires is unfailing love" (Proverbs 19:22a).  "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (I Cor. 13:4-8a). Who wouldn't desire that?  So there's good news, and there's bad news.  The bad news first: Especially where love is concerned, people will always let us down. Even the ones who love us the most will someday disappoint us.  The good news: "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," and He loves You, too.  He loves us so much that He left His perfect, beautiful home where there is no pain, no disease, no sin, no death.  He came to live among people who not only loved sin, but wallowed in it.  Day after day He prayed for people Who didn't know Him; day after day He taught people who didn't care to learn; day after day He administered miracles to people who were ungrateful; and then He allowed wicked men to nail Him to a cross in pain and shame, and for the FIRST TIME IN ETERNITY, HE WAS SEPARATED FROM HIS FATHER, because our Holy God could not look upon the sin and shame that He willingly took upon Himself--our sin and shame.  We have heard it said that "If there were only one, Christ still would have come to die,"--if there were only me, He still would have come into the world and died, and that's a wonderful comforting thought.  But there is an uncomfortable side: If He would have come only for me, IT'S MY FAULT that He suffered and died--my sins alone would have nailed Him to the cross!  That is unfailing love, and it flows from One Source alone.

Praise You Lord, for loving me so much that You would rather face hell than spend eternity without me. Thank You for dieing for me. Help me never, never to take Your sacrifice for granted, and help me to live day by day in a way that is more worthy of Your unfailing love.   Amen