Pastor Weekly - 2/11/26
Hello ICC Family!
5 Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths….
7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
Psalm 36:5-7
During our years as missionaries among a small Muslim people group there were several families among that group that we became close with. These were mostly young couples with small children similar in age to our own. They became the people that we learned the language and culture from. We ate in their homes often - meaning we jammed around the coffee table with our coats on in their one-room home that was heated with a coal burning stove in one corner. Sometimes the stir-fried dishes contained meat, but often they did not because they couldn’t afford it. We usually brought a leg of lamb as a gift when we visited, which they would make last an entire month.
We enjoyed our time with all these families, but one of the couples - Mr. and Mrs. Ma - were different. They truly seemed to love each other! Almost all marriages in this people group were arranged, meaning the husband and wife didn’t necessarily choose each other. Sometimes they had never even met each other! So, love was not usually part of the equation like in western marriages. In most of the families we met there, the husband and wife treated each other more like co-workers than spouses. There was not much warmth, and absolutely no romantic connection that could be seen. Which made the Ma’s so different! They genuinely seemed to both like and love each other. They would smile at each other in ways that the other couples did not. They would tease each other and voice appreciation of each other. We would come home after spending time with them and be shocked at how different they were compared to the other families that we knew. And it would make us think that they must be close to understanding Jesus’ love for them.
But as far as we know… they still have not accepted the gospel. The romantic love that they shared, and that we celebrate on Valentine’s Day is not the same love that the Bible talks about when it says that God is love (1 John 4:16). Romantic love is part of it… but God’s love is also so much more! God’s love is unfailing, vast, faithful, righteous, and precious according to the Psalmist above. And it is made known to us in the person of Jesus Christ who displayed it in one amazing act of humility and sacrifice - while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:7-8).
The Ma’s love for each other was so different than the marriages of our other friends in that people group. It was so clear that they loved each other. In this way, they were blessed to know an aspect of God’s love that most of their people group did not have any experience with, but they still need to accept that love and repent of their sins. There are many people here in America, perhaps your own friends and family members that are similar. Would you please consider inviting them to join us this Sunday for our Valentine’s Day service and fellowship meal? They will be able to celebrate their love for their spouses and their kids, but they will get to hear about God’s incredible love for them as well. A love that is so different and so much higher than any they have ever experienced.
It’s going to be a great time of fellowship and fun. Our kids are going to sing a song. And we will enjoy some great food together. You don’t want to miss it!
Once again, I hope to see you tonight for discipleship. Or to hear that you have joined the young adults that will meet tomorrow night. We have two great studies going on right now!
Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
5 Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the ocean depths….
7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
Psalm 36:5-7
During our years as missionaries among a small Muslim people group there were several families among that group that we became close with. These were mostly young couples with small children similar in age to our own. They became the people that we learned the language and culture from. We ate in their homes often - meaning we jammed around the coffee table with our coats on in their one-room home that was heated with a coal burning stove in one corner. Sometimes the stir-fried dishes contained meat, but often they did not because they couldn’t afford it. We usually brought a leg of lamb as a gift when we visited, which they would make last an entire month.
We enjoyed our time with all these families, but one of the couples - Mr. and Mrs. Ma - were different. They truly seemed to love each other! Almost all marriages in this people group were arranged, meaning the husband and wife didn’t necessarily choose each other. Sometimes they had never even met each other! So, love was not usually part of the equation like in western marriages. In most of the families we met there, the husband and wife treated each other more like co-workers than spouses. There was not much warmth, and absolutely no romantic connection that could be seen. Which made the Ma’s so different! They genuinely seemed to both like and love each other. They would smile at each other in ways that the other couples did not. They would tease each other and voice appreciation of each other. We would come home after spending time with them and be shocked at how different they were compared to the other families that we knew. And it would make us think that they must be close to understanding Jesus’ love for them.
But as far as we know… they still have not accepted the gospel. The romantic love that they shared, and that we celebrate on Valentine’s Day is not the same love that the Bible talks about when it says that God is love (1 John 4:16). Romantic love is part of it… but God’s love is also so much more! God’s love is unfailing, vast, faithful, righteous, and precious according to the Psalmist above. And it is made known to us in the person of Jesus Christ who displayed it in one amazing act of humility and sacrifice - while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:7-8).
The Ma’s love for each other was so different than the marriages of our other friends in that people group. It was so clear that they loved each other. In this way, they were blessed to know an aspect of God’s love that most of their people group did not have any experience with, but they still need to accept that love and repent of their sins. There are many people here in America, perhaps your own friends and family members that are similar. Would you please consider inviting them to join us this Sunday for our Valentine’s Day service and fellowship meal? They will be able to celebrate their love for their spouses and their kids, but they will get to hear about God’s incredible love for them as well. A love that is so different and so much higher than any they have ever experienced.
It’s going to be a great time of fellowship and fun. Our kids are going to sing a song. And we will enjoy some great food together. You don’t want to miss it!
Once again, I hope to see you tonight for discipleship. Or to hear that you have joined the young adults that will meet tomorrow night. We have two great studies going on right now!
Blessings to you all!
And know that I am praying for you!
Pastor Aaron
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