True Love Never Fails nor Does It Cease

“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” 1 Corinthians 13:3

Pure love is the very breath of life, the creative force that sustains all that there is. Two days ago was Valentine’s Day, the day we celebrate earthly love. If that earthly love is not rooted in Heaven, then it can fade.

There are many old hymns that have the power to stir the soul. One of mine is, Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go by George Mattheson. Every verse is wonderful and it’s hard to choose just one. I’ve printed them all here. They’re in the Public Domain.

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be. 

O light that foll’west all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

When the Cherokee were force from their land in North Caroline in October 1838 and had to walk to Oklahoma, arriving in March 1839, they took many pots of fire from the last great council flame. One reason was for ceremony and one was because they simply had no matches. Praise God, the original fire survived in the homes of hundreds of people who survived the Trail of Tears and settled in Oklahoma. In the 1950’s coals from that fire were taken back to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation in North Carolina. Then, in April 1984, ten Cherokee braves returned the flame, by relay, from North Carolina, to the sacred Council Ground at Red Clay.

We have walked our own treacherous journey in many ways. The only energy that kept us going and ignited our steps, was the flame we received from God, the life energy of Love. As an act of faith and love, let today be the day we ‘yield our flickering torch’ back to the Lord. By yielding the light we carry as we walk the remainder of our path, whether that is a long journey or a short stroll, our way will be ‘brighter and fairer’ than any blaze we can imagine. Let us pray:

“Holy Father, love divine, ‘I trace the rainbow through the rain’ and remember your promise that you will walk with me. Today I ask for your presence with me with each step I take. Forgive me when you have carried me along and yet I didn’t even know you were there. I complete your promise of love, by recognizing you in my life and giving back the love you have given me. I ‘lay in dust life’s glory dead,’ oh Father, giving all glory and honor back to you. You are the source, not the servant. I pray in the name of your son, whose name was and is and always will be—Love—who came to earth as Jesus, the Christ, and my Savior. Amen”

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp

Books by Doris Gaines Rapp

Novelette:

News at Eleven (Glo Magazine Jan, Feb, March, and April 2015 – now on newsstands and online at http://www.glo-mag.com/view-our-issues/

Post-to-Phone Messages

Prayer for Release of Anxiety

Novels:

News at Eleven – A Novel (April 2015)

Length of Days – The Age of Silence

Escape from the Belfry

Smoke from Distant Fires

Hiawassee – Child of the Meadow

Length of Days – Beyond the Valley of the Keepers (February 2015)

Collection:

Christmas Feather, one of eight short stories in a wonderful collection titled, Christmases Past

Children’s:

Lincoln’s Christmas Mouse 

Non-Fiction:

Waiting for Jesus in a Can’t Wait World – Advent 2014

Prayer Therapy of Jesus

Promote Yourself