A Love Worth Preaching – February 15, 2021

For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:5,6

A Love Worth Preaching

John Wooden was one of the most successful college basketball coaches in history, and he kissed only one woman throughout his entire life. When John was 14, he gave his first kiss to a girl named Nellie, who later became his wife. He never kissed another woman.

John and Nellie were married for 53 years. Nellie died on March 21, 1985. Exactly one month after Nellie died, on the 21st of April, John wrote a love letter to his deceased wife. A month later, on the 21st of May, he did the same thing. On the 21st day of every month after that until the day he died, John wrote another love letter to Nellie. He never showed them to anyone. Not even their children were allowed to read them. When John was asked why he continued to write love letters to someone who could now never love him back, he said, “I love her, and I’m keeping my promise.” That’s a very special love.

Yet we find an even greater love on the pages of the Bible—a love for you that doesn’t end even at death. That’s what we find as we read of Jesus hanging on a cross, continuing to love a world that far too often acts like it’s dead in its desire to follow him. That’s what we find when we read of Jesus not spilling some ink on a paper once a month but spilling his innocent blood on a cross to forgive us of our sins and earn our place in heaven where we will be loved for eternity in perfection.

This is why the apostle Paul preached “Jesus Christ as Lord” and declared himself to be his willing servant. What greater love could you ever find? What greater love could you ever show the world than that which we find in Jesus?

Prayer:
Father in heaven, help me to see the greatness of Jesus’ love for me so that I will serve both him and all others with love more eagerly. Amen.