First Contact

During the past week I’ve spent time getting to know my new grandson, Kyle. What a joy!

Like most newborns, he spends his time eating, sleeping and keeping the disposable diaper industry going. He also spends a lot of time being held by the adults in his life.

There are brief periods he is awake. And if I’m holding him during one of them, I enjoy looking into his eyes. I remember reading somewhere that babies look for another pair of eyes.

What I want him to know, more than anything else, is that I love him. That’s what I told all my children and grandchildren after they were born.

Of course Kyle doesn’t understand a word I’m saying. He just looks back at me with those handsome eyes. But one day, when I say those words, he will hear my heart.

Meanwhile I expect I will have to patiently repeat myself until he gets the message. I guess I’ve learned that lesson from God’s patience and how he has treated us.

“Now just a minute! How is telling a child of your love similar to how God treats us?”

Over and over, down through the centuries and through the pages of scripture God has patiently repeated himself. He said, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” The Bible tells us, “God is love.” Jesus said, “As the father has loved me, so have I loved you.”

First through the scriptures and then through his son, Jesus Christ, God repeats his love for us. But like a newborn, many don’t understand him. So he tells us again and again.

The message of the Bible is that God has been communicating his love to the human race for thousands of years. Some people think the Bible is a history book. In reality, it’s more like a love letter to the world.

One of the most important things to know about God is that he loves you. He wants you to have peace and joy in your life through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

That’s why the Bible tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Eternal life isn’t just after death. It starts now and brings purpose, peace and blessing to our lives. People who understand God’s great love and what it cost him to save us from sin—those people discover the joy and purpose in life that comes in serving others in Jesus’ name.

One of my goals as a parent and grandparent is to help my children have a wonderful life. Not by just giving them things but by loving them unconditionally. Why? So they will know they have value and worth. And so they know their dad and granddad will always be there for them.

But God is an even better father than that. He is the only one who can always be there during this life and into the next. That’s why he says his love “is an everlasting love.”

So, if you have been blessed with children and grandchildren, let the love you feel for them remind you of God’s great love for you. And if you have not responded to his love, do it today.

Why? Because the Bible says, “Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” It adds, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

God loves you. Will you love him back?

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!