October 17, Day 290 – God’s Unfailing Love
- Dr. Eric Stricker
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
Each of today’s readings deeply touched my heart. In Psalm 119:41-48, we read that “God’s love is unfailing” (verse 41). This means that His love is everlasting, ever reliable, and forever unchanging. Think about this truth for a moment. What if God’s love were capricious – like human love? Thank God that His love is absolutely trustworthy and unfailing! His love, salvation, and promises are permanent, immutable, and faithful – always – just as dependable and reliable as His covenant with day and night (cf., Jeremiah 33:20). Although we are fallen, changeable creatures who can be relied upon to fail, God is a Rock Who never fails – an Anchor Whose character and Word are constant. Here, the Psalmist is so totally convinced of his security in God’s love, in His Word, and in His faithfulness, that he says, “I will answer the one who taunts me … I will always obey your law … I will walk about in freedom … and not be put to shame” (verses 42-46). Five times (cf., verses 42, 44, 45, and 46), the Psalmist willingly commits himself to love, obey, testify to, take delight in, and meditate upon the precepts of the LORD because His love and His salvation are unfailing.
Yesterday, we saw that God instructed Jeremiah to invest his money in a field during shaky times – potential economic collapse perpetrated by the Babylonians. In an act of simple obedience, Jeremiah went out and bought the field, demonstrating his full trust and obedience in the LORD. Today, in Jeremiah 32:26-34:22, we read that nothing is “too hard” for God (verse 27). Judah and Israel pursued evil, and God intends to punish them with the “sword, famine, and plague” (verse 36). But God also promised to regather them and “make them His people” (verse 37). In verse 41, God uses the curious, anthropomorphic expression, “with all my heart and soul” to emphasize His deep, unfailing love for His creatures. God tells us, “call to Me, and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (verse 33:3). Later, in Jeremiah 34, God instructs Jeremiah to prophesy to King Zedekiah about his forthcoming future end in Babylon.
Now today, we come to 1 Timothy 1 which Paul wrote to encourage Timothy – “his true son in the faith” (verse 2). In this passage, Paul also tells Timothy that Christian love results from “a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith” in Christ (verse 5). These are the godly by-products of the “grace, mercy, and peace” that we receive “from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (verse 2). Paul explains that “the law is good if it is used properly” (verse 8), but its proper use is for “lawbreakers and rebels, ungodly, sinful, unholy, and irreligious people … perverts, slave traders, liars, and perjurers” (verses 8-10). Why is that “the proper use of the law?” Because law is the only factor that keeps sinful people in line. In his current state – the sinner can rise no higher than law. As believers, we are called to a higher standard than law. Paul writes, “hold on to grace, faith, love, patience, and a good conscience as an example to those who would believe in Christ and receive eternal life” (verses 14-19). Thankfully, believers are called to live under grace which exists on a spiritual plane that rises much higher than the law.