The Ultimate Love

Verses

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. (Isaiah 40:28, 29 ESV)

Matthew 11:28 ESV

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:38, 39 ESV)

Why, O Lord , do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.

For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord .

In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God."

His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them.

He says in his heart, "I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity."

His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.

He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;

he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.

The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might.

He says in his heart, "God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it." (Psalm 10:1-11 ESV)

Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;

at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

"How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?

If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.

Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,

I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,

when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.

Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord ,

would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,

therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."

(Proverbs 1:20-33 ESV)

Proverbs 1 shows calamity overtaking people who don't live by God's wisdom. When you go against the Lord's commands, you risk missing out on good things he plans for you.

and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:5-8 ESV)