Love Shows Up

Here's a mind-boggling fact: over 150 billion text messages are sent globally each and every day through the various messaging platforms – SMS, Facebook Messenger, iMessage, WhatsApp, WeChat, Telegram, Signal and the like. That's 55 trillion a year. Mind-blowing, right?! And sure, messaging's a great technology – quick, convenient … until it's perhaps too quick, too convenient Friends of mine were recently struggling with a life-threatening situation in their family. Naturally, they let their own church know so they could pray. In response, they received a handful of text messages over the ensuing weeks, but no one showed up. Nobody even called. It shouldn't surprise you to learn that they felt completely abandoned by their supposed church family. Why wouldn't they? Is this what love's descended to in this day and age? Now contrast that with God's approach to loving us. John 3:16-17 Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world. So, God didn't send a text message, He didn't even rely on the power of His Word, the Bible. No, God sent His one and only Son in flesh and blood! If there's one thing about the sort of love that God's on about, it's this: it shows up. And to the extent that it doesn't, it ain't love! Who needs you to show up right now – a phone call, a knock on their front door with a meal in hand, a coffee date? Friend, love doesn't hide behind a text message. Love shows up! That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.