His Love Never Runs
Several months ago the worship team at church
played the song One Thing Remains two Sundays in a row. I usually don’t pay
much attention to such things.
The first Sunday they had it on their play
list I felt led to write something about the song and its message. I had a
picture in my mind’s eye about the prophet Elisha and the widow’s oil.
2 Kings 4:1-7 The Widow’s Olive Oil
4 The wife
of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your
servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now
his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”
2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in
your house?”
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she
said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t
ask for just a few.4 Then go inside and shut the door
behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled,
put it to one side.”
5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the
jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the
jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”
But he replied, “There is not a jar left.”
Then the oil stopped flowing.
7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and
pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
The oil in this Old Testament account
provided what the widow needed; it filled the jars to overflowing. Through the
oil an insurmountable debt was paid she was not able to clear on her own. I
imagine the most important thing for her was it kept her children from becoming
slaves. The oil didn't run out until enough jars were filled to meet her needs.
This song reminded me of the love of Christ
and how His love overflows beyond our wildest dreams. He paid a debt we never
could when He exchanged His life for ours on the cross. He freed us from
unfathomable bondage and freed us to be who we were created to be. However, unlike the oil for the widow... the out pouring of His love never stops...on and on and on it goes.
The second Sunday this song was
played in church I understood it in an entirely different light…His love doesn't run.
Remember after 9/11 the bumper sticker with
the American Flag “These Colors Don’t Run”? Well the love of Christ doesn't run.
He doesn't run from us regardless of what we have done or what has been done to us.
Regardless if we are the wife and mother
abandoned trying to scrape together enough money to keep shelter, food, and
heat for our family. His love doesn't run.
Regardless if we are the husband (or wife)
who abandoned our family and now are filled with a belly full of remorse and
are thinking of ending it all. His love doesn't run.
Regardless if we are the alcoholic or drug
addict who swears off our drug of choice only to fall off the wagon on a two
week binge. His love doesn't run.
Regardless of the fact... __________________well
go ahead and fill in the blank of whatever it is you think you did that
irrevocably crossed the line and is so horrible you made God run. Because
He didn't!
I Corinthians 13:7 & 8 It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
I Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the
greatest of these is love.
He is constant through the trial and
the change.
I love this song!
May the love of Christ envelope you, protect
your heart, and be the guide you need today!
