“Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.” 1 Corinthians 13:8 NRSV
If you have seen the movie Forrest Gump, you will remember the scene where Forrest talks about his decision to start running. He says that one day, for no particular reason, he just decided to go for a run. He ran across the United States from coast to coast and just kept running. Then comes one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie. After running all those miles, he has a whole bunch of people who have decided to run with him. They are all running through what appears to be the western United States surrounded by nothing but wilderness and mountains in the background. Then, mid run, Forrest stops running. He looks around at the people and simply says, “I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll go home now.” This is when he turns the other direction and starts walking home. All the people with him are astonished and don’t know what to do. One of the guys says, “Now what do we do?” This man has failed to realize one of life’s realities. Like Forrest Gump’s run everything in life eventually comes to an end.
We are born into the world and a process begins. We grow and mature. Infancy gives way to childhood, childhood gives way to adolescence, adolescence gives way to young adulthood. The process goes on—ending one phase of life and entering another. We all know that at some point even our life here on earth will end. Everything in life comes to an end at some point. We can count on it.
There is something else we can count on as well. Love never ends! This is the promise of 1 Corinthians 13:8, “Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.” All the things that people were getting excited about in the early days of Christianity, Paul says they will all come to an end. The gifts that were more spectacular were not the things that would last. What Paul tells us will last is love. Why? Because of what we read in 1 John 4:8, “… God is love.” God never ends! In a world where everything is limited, finite, and ultimately ends—this is an incredible truth. God’s love is constant, always the same and always present. This truth is not just for this world, it is eternal.
Making a difference is eternal in nature. Yes, we are making a difference and helping in this world. We must never lose sight, however, of the eternal difference we will make in Jesus’ name. As Christians we make a difference by sharing God’s love in real, tangible, and powerful ways. We also share the love of Christ Jesus and help people catch a glimpse of all eternity. By sharing God’s love in real ways, we are helping people experience what eternity with God is like. When we make a difference we are focused on eternal results, not just the here and now. We are helping love to break through human circumstances. We are helping people experience God’s grace through a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. It is this relationship—this love—that will last for ever and ever. This is what it means to work to make God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
Will you share God’s love today? Will you make a difference today? Start with eternity in mind and offer God’s love to everyone. You never know who will need that love today and what an eternal difference you will make.
This weekend at all four worship services we continue the message series Make A Difference. Make A Difference is also the theme of our stewardship campaign as we prepare for our 2019 ministry needs. This weekend we will discuss how to maintain an eternal focus as we make a difference. I hope you will join us this weekend and every weekend. The best is yet to come for St. Andrew’s. I can’t wait to see you in church!
Looking for a way you can make a difference? Be a part of our Make a Difference Serve Weekend on October 27-28. Register today at SAUMC.NET/BeTheLight