Love Bade Me Welcome

Love Bade Me Welcome

“Love bade me welcome…” — George Herbert

“Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!” — St. John the Apostle

I once spoke at a retreat in the Poconos. Two young men professed faith in Christ during the weekend. Ever curious about what God uses to move different individuals, I asked one of them what had been faith’s tipping point. It had been the idea that God loved him.

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God’s love has wonderstruck many, and for some it becomes a lifelong source of amazement. That was true for the one known to history as “the beloved disciple,” St. John.

Back when words seemed to matter more than they do now, bible teachers would look a word up, pull it apart, and squeeze it until the essential oils oozed out. I fell back to that old habit and looked up the etymology of the word behold.

It is used in our passage, not of literal sight, but of figuratively ‘giving regard to’ God’s love, or ‘keeping it in view’.

Providence Team