I spend a lot of time thinking about love, because I try to spend all my time living out my faith. When Christ came to be with us in the flesh, fully God and fully human, His life had so many purposes. He came to live a sinless life so He could die on the cross for our sins, a lifetime of self-control and sacrifice He assumed so sin wouldn’t separate us from Him any more than it has to in this life or keep us from Heaven. He also provided an example of how believers should strive to live our own lives. Over and over and over, He called—and calls—us to love. In word. In action. In thought. The three are equally important, each working together to show glimpses of Christ’s love for us in our interactions with others.
One of my favorite Bible verses is Galatians 6:2, which reads, “Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” The Bible—and if we’re being honest, probably our own lives—is full of stories of people who complicated the law, but Galatians 5:14 simplifies it: “For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love. That’s it: that’s the heart of the whole law. Love is how we serve Christ and are served by Christ. Love is how we serve others and are served by others.
I get weepy at the expressions of love in multiple Biblical stories: when God met Hagar in the desert, when He buried Moses, and when He restored Job. Every one of Christ’s miraculous mental, physical, or spiritual healings. When Jesus, while dying on the cross, asked John and Mary to care for one another. Each story softens my heart and wraps me in peace.
The weepiness has continued this past month as I’ve made my way through 1 Samuel. There are so many passages I want to talk about that I almost felt paralyzed by my passion for this book. How do I take all the notes I’ve scribbled in the margins of my Bible and present them in a way that even begins to provide a semi-coherent glimpse of the intricate, redemptive story God wrote for Israel during the transition from judges to kingships? But when I looked back at the passages that inspired the deepest adoration for God, I realized they all revolved around faithful, steadfast love.
And so, here’s my introductory post to a series exploring the way love stitches the story of 1 Samuel together. I would be honored to share my three favorite stories of love from 1 Samuel with you:
God’s faithful love for His people
Jonathan’s faithful love for David
Hannah’s faithful love for God
You can click here to read the first part. Feel free to check back here throughout the week for the next two posts or visit this blog’s Instagram, @sara.j.eaton, for updates. Until then, friends, I would like to leave you with two truths: I love you exactly as you are in this moment, and that love pales in comparison of Christ’s love for you.