Unfailing Love
God's love is unfailing and perfect, and it is the foundation of our relationship with Him.
Mary Wilder Tileston preaches about the profound love of God, emphasizing that our love for God is a response to His initial love for us, as demonstrated by sending His Son to atone for our sins. The imagery of a blind child reaching out to feel its mother's face is used to illustrate our faith reaching out to God. George MacDonald's words express the idea of trusting in God's unchanging perfection even when our own love is lacking, knowing that His love will ultimately restore and transform us. Francois de La Mothe Fenelon encourages those who feel unworthy or unlovable to believe in God's relentless and unwavering love for them.
Text
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:10
I saw a little child, with bandaged eyes,
Put up its hands to feel its mothers' face;
She bent, and took the tender groping palms,
And pressed them to her lips a little space.
I know a soul made blind by its desires,
And yet its faith keeps feeling for God's face,
Bend down, O Mighty Love, and let that faith
One little moment touch Thy lips of Grace.
ANNA J. GRANNIS
If I felt my heart as hard as a stone; if I did not love God, or man, or woman, or little child, I would yet say to God in my heart, "O God, see how I trust Thee, because Thou are perfect, and not changeable like me. I do not love Thee, I love nobody. I am not even sorry for it. Thou seest how much I need Thee to come close to me, to put Thy arm round me, to say to me, my child; for the worse my state, the greater my need of my Father who loves me. Come to me , and my day will dawn; my love will comme back, and , oh! how I shall love Thee, my God! and know that my love is Thy love, my blessedness Thy being."
GEORGE MACDONALD
Be persuaded, timid soul, that He has loved you too much to cease loving you.
FRANCOIS DE LA MOTHE FENELON
Sermon Outline
- Unfailing Love
- The Blindness of Sin
- The Power of Trust
- God's Love for Us
- Our Response to God's Love
- Desires Blinding Us to God
- The Need for Faith
- Trust in God's Perfection
- The Father's Love
- The Return of Love
Key Quotes
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“Be persuaded, timid soul, that He has loved you too much to cease loving you.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“I do not love Thee, I love nobody. I am not even sorry for it. Thou seest how much I need Thee to come close to me, to put Thy arm round me, to say to me, my child;” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- We can trust in God's perfection and acknowledge our need for Him, even when we feel unlovable.
- Faith is essential in our relationship with God, as it allows us to feel for His presence and love.
- God's love can change us by bringing us back to Him and restoring our love for Him.