Daily Devotional: Monday, February 21 - Lasting Love

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” — Isaiah 40:28-29

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He still stands head-and-shoulders above past and current players to this day. He combined speed, strength, ability, intelligence and his trademark skyhook shot to become the all-time leading scorer, and he won six NBA championships. For 20 seasons, he continued to play at a very high level and helped the Lakers win his last championship at age 37. Kareem was wealthy enough to walk away from basketball 10 years earlier, but he loved the game too much to stop sooner.

When people dedicate themselves to reaching the top of the mountain in their chosen profession for the long term, they inspire many. But all of us reach a point where we can longer do what we once did.

God, however, stands alone as one who never loses His strength. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:28-29).

God’s everlasting love gives comfort and assurance as we face difficulties daily. When the prophet Jeremiah went through terrible times, he gained confidence to continue because he knew God never weakens and never sleeps. God’s love continues to flow even when everyone else leaves and everything else falls apart. “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3).

If we ever doubt the strength of the love of God, we should look to the cross and see the depth of His love. Christ shed His own blood willingly for us. Jesus did not retreat from His suffering; He went through everything necessary to secure our salvation. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia 

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