He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 JOHN 4:8
In 2010 my husband and I celebrated our 35th Wedding Anniversary. It was very special because I hadn't done much of the planning when we were first married in 1975.
However, we decided to renew our vows and in doing so, I saw it as an opportunity to truly have it done the way Don and I would have liked it to be done many years before.
I don't have to explain to married couples how big a deal it is to have someone you love in your life for thirty five or more years. Although, it is very uncommon these days to have a marriage last more than five to ten years.
For some of us, choosing to reaffirm that commitment years later is just as meaningful -- and in some cases even more so, than saying "I do" the first time around. And, this was the case for Don and I simply because we decided to marry after knowing each other only several weeks.
It was extraordinary to have our children and our grandchildren, able to participate in our vow renewal. We chose a small little church in the woodlands, there my grandchildren all had a part in the ceremony.
My sons and brothers also performed important duties, our youngest son walked me down the isle, and our oldest son united us in our actual vows. My older brother read the "love chapter" in 1 CORINTHIANS 13 and my younger brother played his keyboard and also sang for us. My daughter-in-laws
helped by one making all the floral decorations and
the other one taking photos of the day.
Our family and our friends were able to see my husband and I promise to love each other for hopefully... another thirty five years. It was a lovely day that ended at a beautiful old southern restaurant where we all had dinner and watched a video of our lives that I had made.
GOD'S DEPENDABLE LOVE FOR US
And, we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1 JOHN 4:16
John dealt with many false teachers in his time. These teachers promised great things for their followers, but did not stay around to help them during their persecution and other very difficult times.
Those false teachers focused more on their attention on getting money from their followers to spend on their own desires, like many preachers do even to this day, sadly.
Unlike those false teachers, every believer can depend upon God's Love. The Father stands with His children, both through the good times and the roughest of times. Such dependability allows Christians to face any circumstance in life and to fulfill the calling God has placed on their lives.
We can most definitely depend on God's love as He gives believers the confidence to follow Him throughout their lives.
God's love for us is decisive and absolutely loyal and trustworthy. As His children, we need to genuinely know God's love for you and me is steadfast and DEPENDABLE!