4 minute read<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.\u201d (Psalm 145:8 NIV)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n God is rich in love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a year like 2020, one filled with strife, people may question God\u2019s love for them. If God loves the world, why would He send a pandemic? Viruses are a part of life. Man didn\u2019t create them; God did. They balance nature:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cViruses keep Earth\u2019s bacterial population in check. They<\/em> <\/em>break up and kill bacteria at the just-right rates and in the just-right locations to maintain a population and diversity of bacteria that is optimal for both<\/em> <\/em>the bacteria and for all the other life-forms.\u201d <\/em>Hugh Ross<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In farming terms, viruses \u201cthin the herd,\u201d meaning weaker animals don\u2019t survive while stronger ones do. In conversation, you will hear the phrase \u201cherd immunity,\u201d which means the virus has run its course through the flock. Gratefully, we are close to that point with COVID-19. The introduction of a vaccine makes the virus\u2019s life span that much shorter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Love isn\u2019t contingent on circumstance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n COVID devastates people\u2019s lives. One of my dear friends lost her husband in September to the illness. Many have lost loved ones this year, but not all from the virus. Suicide rates and domestic abuse are rising. Two friends lost their children to suicide because of the stress of quarantine. The darkness that surrounds the world is heavy. Hurting hearts exist in every part of the earth. But God\u2019s love is still rich.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God\u2019s love is evident in the health care workers who nurture the sick.\u00a0 We see His love in the actions of neighbors who help those around them.\u00a0 Jesus\u2019s love brightens the world through His followers as they serve others.\u00a0 Currently, my church is supporting a family of six through the Angel Tree network.\u00a0 Together, as a community, we are meeting the family\u2019s needs helping them through this difficult time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I enter into conversations about COVID, I think of the Titanic<\/a>. On the date of the ship\u2019s launch, May 31, 1911, an employee made this statement<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot even God himself could sink this ship.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n He was, in fact, wrong. The Titanic hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage, more than 1500 people died. Because the shipbuilders were so confident in their creation, they didn\u2019t add enough lifeboats. Of the 2,228 passengers on board, lifeboats could only accommodate about half of them. Man thought he was smarter than God; he wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God has a plan. What is going on in the world is part of His divine purpose. Understanding isn\u2019t necessary for us to live life fully. COVID will end, but God\u2019s love never will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trust God\u2019s word. He is compassionate. He is slow to anger and rich in love. No one loves you more than Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Question of the Day:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Who can you share God\u2019s love with today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further Reading: <\/strong>Zechariah 9:1-17 NIV<\/a>, Revelation 17:1-18 NIV<\/a>, Psalm 145:1-21NIV<\/a>, Proverbs 30:32 NIV<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 4 minute read \u201cThe Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.\u201d (Psalm 145:8 NIV) God is rich in love. In a year like 2020, one filled with strife, people may question God\u2019s love for them. If God loves the world, why would He send a pandemic? Viruses are a part… Continue reading WHO IS RICH IN LOVE IN YOUR LIFE?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2969"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2972,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2969\/revisions\/2972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}