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It is true that love never ends, but my Sanitizer had to come to an abrupt end yesterday due to other things needing to be done! Thank God nothing can stop his love. Elsewhere Paul writes, “…we are more than conquerors through him who loves us.” Paul says nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8)

8 Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; 10 but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. 13 So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (RSV)

Paul finishes the chapter with a powerful, moving picture of the future. All the best that we have today that is imperfect will fade and the perfect will take its place. Things we don’t understand now will be made clear as day for us when God establishes his kingdom. What a great reassurance!

We shall understand fully! The hymn says, “all now mysterious shall be bright at last…. Be still my soul.” All of our questions about why there is evil and why people suffer and why life can be so hard will be answered to our satisfaction and then some! God loves us that much. Sometimes when a child asks mom why he must do something she replies, “Because I said so!” God doesn’t respond that way. He promises to make known to us all of truth.

For the time being our vision is cloudy. Paul says it is like looking in a mirror. Mirrors in the ancient world were not nearly as clear as our modern mirrors. The reflection was distorted at best. In the coming kingdom, everyone will see everything 20/20. Perfectly. And how beautiful and wonderful it will be.

And Paul assures us God fully understands us. He loves us. He will reveal all to us.

Till then? “Faith, hope, love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love.”

Shall we pray? “Your promises for the future, O Lord, sustain us. You fill us with hope knowing that we are heading to a time and place filled with unbelievable beauty, power and truth. And it is all built on the foundation of love! Who but you, O God would make such promises and hold us up on the journey to the kingdom? As we absorb your love day by day, make us dispensers of that love. We know so many people are lost and broken and struggling. Help us to be a lifeline of love to them, even as you are to us! And we thank you, Lord, that the church is founded upon love in your Son, Jesus. May it be seen in every way in our life together as the Hillsborough Reformed Church at Millstone. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.”