Unfortunately, I am not able to be with you this Sabbath. I am worshipping our Master with my mother at the Cape Coral Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cape Coral, FL. While I would have loved to be with you, I am more than glad Pastor Ole is with you. Here's a thought for your Sabbath day: "It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."
These words are attributed to Alfred Lord Tennyson. By this time in our lives, we have all lost someone we love. And while the pain of the loss can be unbearable, the truism of this thought is found in the tension of having loved and that love being better than having never had the ability to love in the first place. Why is love such a powerful motivator for the human spirit?
Because we were created by a God of love. The Bible shares this thought, "We love because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:19 NIV. When Adam and Eve were created by the hand of God, He created them with love to love. Loving someone is in our DNA; in our makeup; in our cells! It is unnatural not to love someone. However, when we have lost someone we love it's hard to imagine ever loving someone again.
Yet, as time progresses and moves on, so does the healing that takes place in our lives. Where we once thought it impossible to love again, we find that loving someone is truly better than not having loved at all. This Sabbath, God loves you. And His love is demonstrated in many perceptible ways.
May you this Sabbath realize the love God has for you. He doesn't want to lose you eternally. And if you choose to be lost, God still would have loved you rather than to never have loved you. May your heart be surrendered to the Master today. May you find . . . that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all!
So, until the next tie, this is Pastor Tello reminding you that thoughts do change lives!
Pastor Howard Tello