On March 2nd, 2012, as a strong tornado roared through Henryville, Indiana, Stephanie Decker raced down to the basement of her home with her two children. She quickly tied them up in a sleeping bag, and then laid over them to shield them with her body. Seconds later, the house exploded around them. A steel beam crashed down on top of Stephanie’s legs, crushing them. The next day, both legs had to be amputated. Stephanie said it was a “small price to pay” because “…my children needed me, so I had to figure out what to do.“

Love can motivate people to accomplish extraordinary things. The greatest example of all is the love that God the Father and God the Son had for a world of guilty sinners. Ephesians 2:1 describes all of us in our natural state as spiritually “…dead in trespasses and sins.” In ourselves, there is nothing lovable about us. Paul described it this way: “For I know that in me…dwelleth no good thing…(and) how to perform that which is good I find not” (Romans 7:18). By nature, we all walked “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (Satan)…and were by nature the children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:2-3). We all gravitate naturally toward conduct designed by the devil to harden our hearts. Like the tornado that threatened the family of Stephanie Decker, the impending clouds of eternal judgment and God’s just wrath were looming over us. Our only hope is the Lord Jesus Christ, and He knew what to do. He bore our punishment on Calvary that we could have eternal life through faith in Him alone. As we read these verses and look at ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word, we see that it was indeed God’s “great love” (Ephesians 2:4) that saved us from eternal destruction. “For when we were yet without strength…” (Romans 5:6) and “…when we were enemies…” of the Lord (Romans 5:10), “…God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (5:8).

We’re touched by the love and affection of others. The Lord would have us to be moved by His great love also; and He would have us love Him in return. If you truly love the Lord, tell Him today, and then demonstrate your love by walking faithfully with Him each day.