“I love you.”

A dear pastor friend (Geoff) many times ends his salutations with (verbal or written) – “I love you.”

Hope this does not get too complicated – but another faithful pastor friend (Steve) said he had a professor who was teaching men how to preach say – “Men, when you stand up to preach from the pulpit to your congregation… When you open the word of God and read it – that is the very inspired word of the Lord…and anything you say after that is suspect to heresy. “ For some reason that really makes sense to me. Our words will always fall short of HIS WORD. But God continues to use clay pots like us to carry about His word to world around us.

Now we were reading in our Colossians and Romans class all these greetings and salutations and there are literally name after names of people we will never know on this side of eternity. But as we considered that this is the very word of God, God is communicating through His inerrant word something that is far deeper than just a list of names (names to memorize or to pass a test)– it struck us – these are real people in a real time in a real place. And the writer was driving home a truth that is not in actual, literal words – He was driving home – “I love you.” Real people who the scriptures mentioned by name were loved. And His inspired word without the words “I love you” is conveying love.

When we stand before a group of people or before one person, by all means read, quote, and show the word of God, for that is the inspired word of God. And what we say after that which is read will most likely fall just a hair short of inspired. “I love you” conveyed can aid us who use many words after we read His word.

1 Peter 4:8

As we have been going through these past weeks, Lynda and I have seen our Lord Jesus reflected in so many people who say – “I (we) love you.” Words cannot convey the overwhelming sense that comes from your simple words packed with profound empathy and actions – “I love you.”

We echo the love of our Lord Jesus who taught us – "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12 (see also – John 13:34, 15:17, Rom. 13:8, 1 Thes. 4:9, 1 Pet. 1:22, 1 John 3:11, 23, 4:7, 11, 12, 2John 1:5)

Lynda and I love you.