The lighthouse pictured in today’s background photo is Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, standing high on a bluff overlooking the confluence where the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean. As you can see, this lighthouse has taken a beating. It is weathered. It is worn. The paint is chipped and peeling.
This is what LOVE looks like.
Cape Disappointment Light has stood faithfully for years, shining the light. So also, in much the same way, it requires faithfulness for us to truly LOVE others.
Faithfully, consistently loving through the storms.
Faithfully, consistently loving … even though our love might not be appreciated or even noticed.
Faithfully, consistently loving … even when it is inconvenient.
Faithfully, consistently loving … even though it requires us to give of our time.
Faithfully, consistently loving … even though it might require us to give of our money.
Faithfully, consistently loving … even though we might have to give up what we want.
And then, after all that … those for whom we have given so much in order to love … they sometimes wind up disappointing us. It happens.
But just like Cape Disappointment Lighthouse has given much … and been weathered and worn in the process, the Light has saved untold thousands! The cost has been great … but the mission has been a great one! And the Light has accomplished its mission!
In the same way, God has called us to shine the light of His LOVE those who are lost on the dark stormy seas of life. Just like Cape Disappointment Light, ours is a great mission! And this means the cost will be great.
Great love requires great sacrifice.
The greatest example ever, of the greatest love ever … giving the greatest sacrifice ever … is Jesus.
“This is how we know what LOVE is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.” – 1 John 3:16
* Jesus Christ gave His very life because He LOVED us so much.
“This is LOVE: not that we loved God, but that He LOVED us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so LOVED us, we also ought to LOVE one another.” -1 John 4:10-11
It costs to LOVE … and the only way we are able do this by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Fruit of the Spirit is LOVE.
