Morning Devotional

November 18, 2004
"The Promise of Love"

by Don Emmitte

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"Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth and destroy its life, so now I swear that I will never again pour out my anger on you. For the mountains may depart and the hills disappear, but even then I will remain loyal to you. My covenant of blessing will never be broken," says the LORD, who has mercy on you. (Isaiah 54:9-10 NLT).

God loves you! That is not going to change. For several days we are going to be looking at promises of God. I hope there will be at least one of these that you can apply to your life now. You can depend on the promises of God.

I have traveled through Tennessee and Western North Carolina. Several years ago we were unable to take I40 back home. It had to close because of mudslides and falling rocks. Following the news I discovered that it took several weeks to remove the debris because there were so many rocks in the road. I drove past this place the next year after the road reopened. I looked up at the hillside from where these rocks had fallen and noticed something interesting. The hillside, which is actually a small mountain, didn’t look any different from the way I had remembered it before. As many rocks that had fallen, there was really no significant change to the original structure.

I know you must be saying, “Okay, Don, good story, now what exactly are you trying to say?” The point is that mountains and hills don’t change much. They are fairly constant in their appearance. It could take years for a mountain to weather away. Mountains and hills are very stable. God uses this same principle in describing His love for us. Mountains don’t budge, and yet, even if they could be moved, they could not be compared to God’s love for you and me.

When we think of something being “written in stone” or as “strong as a mountain” we know it is secure. God’s love cannot be described in words. His love is secure and cannot be moved. In closing, I’m reminded of what Paul wrote in Romans after studying the love of God.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? (Even the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39 NLT).

Praise the Lord for his promise of love. If you are feeling abandoned and unloved, claim this promise today. It belongs to you as his child!