“While at camp meeting in a mid-western state, some fifty years ago in our early ministry, an evangelist climaxed his message by quoting the last stanza of this song. The profound depths of the line moved us to preserve the words for future generations.
‘Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall for evermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.’
We thank God for godly men who pen beautiful hymns that remind us of the love of God.
In John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
In Rom 5:6-8 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
We thank God for a good start to all our cell groups. Brothers and sisters share freely with each other from their hearts. We are reminded that as God loves us unconditionally and sacrificially, may we respond in return by loving one another fervently. Life may seem harsh at times. In moments of our dire needs, may we step up and step out of our comfort zone to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. May our lives not be self centered but may we be sensitive to the needs of others and provide spiritual or emotional support, financial or physical help, as the situation calls for it. May the love of Christ constrain us that we may show love for each other.
One concern is whether we will be able to sustain the cell group. May I encourage you to lock in the time and make a commitment to attend the cell group where possible. Rome is not built in a day. In the same way, friendship and love cannot develop overnight. It needs to be developed and cultivated over time. This requires time and effort. God promises us that if we sow in tears, we shall reap with joy. I believe, our God will richly bless those who have taken time to step up and step out to sacrificially care and lend a helping hand to His redeemed during our life’s journey.
May the love of God constrain us to leave our comfort zone and be zealous in building the lives of His redeemed until the soon-glorious return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.