Carried by Love

Welcome to today's word of encouragement from your friends at Our Daily Bread.

The devotional for today was written by James Banks, and he titled it, Carried by Love. My four-year-old grandson sat on my lap and patted my bald head, studying it intently. Papa, he asked, what happened to your hair?

Oh, I laughed. I lost it over the years. His face turned thoughtful. That's too bad, he responded.

I'll have to give you some of mine. I smiled at his compassion and pulled him close for a hug. Reflecting later on his love for me in that cherished moment also caused me to ponder God's selfless, generous love. G.K. Chesterton wrote, We have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.

By this, he meant that the Ancient of Days is untainted by sins decay. God is ageless and loves us exuberantly with a love that never falters or fades. He's fully willing and able to fulfill the promise he made to his people in Isaiah 46, saying, Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He. I am He who will sustain you. I have made you, and I will carry you. Five verses later, he explains, I am God, and there is none like me. The great I Am loves us so deeply that he went to the extreme of dying on the cross to bear the full weight of our sin, so that we might turn to him and be free of our burden and gratefully worship him forever.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading comes to us from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 46, verses 1 through 10. Bell bows down, Nebo stoops low. Their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary. They stoop and bow down together, unable to rescue the burden.

They themselves go off into captivity. Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He. I am He who will sustain you. I have made you, and I will carry you. I will sustain you, and I will rescue you. With whom will you compare me or count me equal?

To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales. They hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it. They set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot, it cannot move, even though someone cries out to it. It cannot answer.

It cannot save them from their troubles. Remember this. Keep it in mind. Take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago. I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning.

From ancient times, what is still to come? I say, my purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. Would you pray with me? Loving Savior, we are so thankful that your love for us never grows old. Would you help our love for you to grow ever deeper as we grow older and we wait with anticipation to be with you? And it's in your name, Lord, that we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to today's devotional. My name is Wes Ward, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.