Love

1 Corinthians Chapter 13 and verse 8 says:

“Love never fails.”

2 Corinthians Chapter 13 and verse 11 says:

“And the God of Love (and peace) shall be with you.”

And then 1 John Chapter 4 and verse 18 says:

“Perfect love casts out fear.”

Are you fearful this morning? Are you afraid of facing the coming week?

Are you saying, “I don’t know where I am going to find the money from, to sort out my debt?”

“My business is on the edge of collapse.”

“ I am bereaving my loved one who has just recently died”.

“I don’t know if I will ever get my degree, whether the university will ever open.”

“I don’t know if I will be able to sell my produce at the market because there is no money available.”

How are you feeling?

The Lord says that perfect love casts out fear.

George Matheson, a budding young Scottish preacher, many years ago - he was tipped to be one of the best preachers in Scotland - he was engaged to a beautiful young Scottish lass.

They were going to be married but he was having trouble with his eyesight so he went to see the doctor and the doctor told him, “I am very sorry to tell you but you have a degenerative problem.

You will be blind in just a number of years.”

He was totally shattered.

He went back and he told his fiancé that “I am going to be blind.”

And she said, “I cannot live my life with a blind man.” And she left him.

Again, he was completely disillusioned.

When he graduated from university, instead of being sent to one of the top churches in the city, he was relegated to a little country parish because he was blind.

But he had a lovely young sister, and she looked after him so well, and she became his eyes, but one day that young girl, fell in love and she was about to get married.

By now, he had nothing left and no-one.

He sat in the corner of the lounge when they were running to and fro on the eve of the wedding, getting the wedding cake ready, and the beautiful white dress out, and he was totally alone and felt completely forsaken.

He wrote a hymn. I believe it only took him about 15 minutes.

It never had to be re-edited. It was absolutely perfect, and I think this hymn is only second in success and popularity, to Amazing Grace.

And it goes like this:

“Oh Love that will not let me go
I rest my weary soul in Thee
I give Thee back the life I owe
That in Thy ocean depths its flow may richer and fuller be.”

Oh my dear friend, when he died, that preacher, they buried him in a grave, six foot deep and they filled that grave with beautiful bright red roses.

He was such an encouragement to his people.

His little parish was jam-packed, every single Sunday, with people coming from far and wide.

Look up because The Lord is the source of your love and strength this week!