His Heart, My Home

For the last several weeks, Holy Spirit has been teaching us about our first love. The phrase “first love” doesn’t refer to our love for God. It refers to God’s love for us. Our love for God is only a response to His love.
(1 John 4:19)

We will continue to experience the endless dimensions of God’s love throughout eternity, but there will always be more. We will never be able to fully know the totality of His love because it is infinite. It is beyond our ability to fully know and comprehend. (Ephesians 1:14-19)

Even though we don’t know everything about God’s amazing love, one thing we do know with absolute certainty, is that it will never fade away, never falter, and never fail!

God [said], “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!
(Jeremiah 31:3, The Message)

When men say anything is “eternal” in this world, you can be sure that it’s not.

U.S. President John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery just across the Potomac River from Washington D.C. At his burial on November 25, 1963, an “eternal flame” at his grave-site was lit to honor his memory. But just 15 days later on December 10, the “eternal flame” was extinguished when a group of young school children accidentally doused the fire with a bottle of water. It was relit a few minutes later by a smoker, using his cigarette lighter. Eternal? Not.

But when the Eternal God says something is “eternal”, you can be assured that it truly is!
God’s love is eternal!

His love will never cease! It will never flicker nor flame-out. It will never be extinguished! It will never be interrupted, not even for a moment! It never leaves, then returns! It never starts, then stops! It burns with white-hot intensity forever!

“Even if the mountains were to crumble and the hills disappear, my heart of steadfast, faithful love will never leave you, and my covenant of peace with you will never be shaken,” says Yahweh, whose love and compassion will never give up on you. (Isaiah 54:10, The Passion Translation)

There are several words in the Bible that are translated as “love”. One of those words, which is used in our verse above, is the Hebrew word “racham”, which is most often translated as “lovingkindness; compassion; mercy or pity”.

In studying the word “racham” it becomes apparent that there is a feminine nature to it in its usage. Women are known to naturally be more gentle, compassionate, nurturing, tender-hearted, and caring than men. Men, we can say amen here! It’s true. God designed them that way!

So we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that the word “racham” also means “womb”.

The deeply-felt emotions and love of a mother carrying and nurturing a baby in her womb for nine months, then giving birth to that child, and finally receiving it into her arms for the first time, can’t be fully understood or adequately described.

But God calls it “racham” and uses that very specific word to describe His love, grace, and compassionate mercy for us.

God’s “racham-love”, is reflected and displayed in the love that human parents have for their children. It is a love that readily forgives offenses and hurts. “Racham-love” can and does survive injuries, heartaches, heartbreaks, and betrayal, over and over again. But it never fails. It never dies. It can never be extinguished.

The child did nothing to earn that kind of love. It is freely given, without even a demand that it be returned.

“Racham-love” is as natural as the womb itself. It nourishes. It protects. It brings forth the promised destiny of a new life.

And our Father-God, who is Love in its essence, is the eternal source of that never-ending supply of “racham”. We will never exhaust His inventory of “racham”.

Our focus word, “racham”, is also found in Lamentations 3:22-23 which says, “His compassions (racham) fail not. They are new every morning.”

Here’s that passage from other translations:

(Message) – “God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out. His merciful love couldn’t have dried up.They’re created new every morning. How great is your faithfulness!”

(Voice) – ” How enduring is God’s loyal love; the Eternal has inexhaustible compassion…”

( Common English Version) – “… deep in my heart I say, ‘the Lord is all I need.”

(Good News) – “… fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.”

I love the imagery of that last translation…
“… (racham) is fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.”

It reminds me of the Philippines, where bakery workers rise every morning before the sun comes up, going house-to-house, selling their hot, fresh, “pandesal”, a delicious, small, bread-roll.

The aroma, the softness, the warmth, the flavor… all perfect! Just remembering… I think I’m falling in love with pandesal all over again!

God’s “racham-love” is just like that, abundantly supplied to us… hot, fresh, and delicious, every morning of every day!

We are invited to taste and see that the Lord is good. Here’s just a small sampler of what His love can, does, and will do in our lives:

● Love radiates hope and light as a beacon to those in spiritual darkness.

● Love reconnects us to God.

● Love releases us from the shame and guilt of our past.

● Love rehabilitates and reinvigorates bodies ravaged by sickness and infirmity.

● Love refreshes and revitalizes the weary.

● Love re-establishs the peace that passes all understanding in our hearts and minds.

● Love renews our strength.

● Love rebuilds our dreams when they have been cruelly crushed.

● Love reclaims our life-purpose.

● Love recaptures our destiny.

● Love reawakens faith in us when we doubt.

● Love rescues us when we have reached the end of our rope.

● Love reassures us in mourning that there will be a resurrection morning.

● Love remolds and reshapes us from within.

● Love repairs our broken hearts.

● Love restores our soul.

● Love redesigns and redefines our service to the Lord.

● Love reignites Holy Spirit passion within us.

● Love reorients the prodigal, pointing the way home.

● Love reunites families broken by bitterness, strife, and division.

● Love repositions us for success even after we have failed.

● Love reveals our place in Abba-Father’s heart.

● Love raises us up to our spiritual position in Christ, seated at the Father’s right hand.

● Love reminds us of Abba’s endless mercy, grace, and goodness to us.

● Love recreates an attitude of gratitude in us, overflowing as praise and worship.

Father, your loyal love never runs out. Your mercy and compassion never dry up. How enduring is your love! How inexhaustible is
your compassion! You create a fresh supply each morning. How great is your faithfulness, O Lord! Your love, your compassion, your mercy, and your loving-kindness, are as fresh as the morning of the new day, as sure as the sunrise! Deep in our hearts, we know, and we say today, “You, Lord, are all that we need!” We depend on you! We trust in you! And we love you, Lord, because you first loved us!

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Have a blessed week!