NO “IF” IN GOD’S LOVE:  Psalm 118:1: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever.”   We must live in the truth that there is no “if” in God’s love for us.  That is a direct promise throughout Scripture.  This is in contrast to most things in our lives where “if” often comes into our lives daily.  I play golf with four buddies from church and we often use the word “if.”  When we hit a bad shot, we often say, “If I hadn’t pulled that shot, the ball would be in the fairway and not in the woods or water.”  Or, the other side of “if” is this, “If I had used a longer club, I would have been on the green and putting for a birdie.”  I am a guilty party.  One of my golf partners, and you can guess which one, told me he will start my funeral with the statement, “If Dean wasn’t dead, he would be here.  For us, “if” is one or the other about doing something wrong or not doing something right which determines the outcome.

Man has a classic question: “If God loves me, then why would certain things happen?”  Certain things happen so God can demonstrate his love to us.  You can be certain that there is no “if” in the fact that God loves us.  “His steadfast love endures forever.”  His love is not conditional, can never run out and is eternal.  It is not based on what we do or do not do. He won’t stop loving us when we mess up.  He doesn’t love us because of who we are or what we have or have not done.  No, He loves us because of who He is and what He did through Jesus, His only Son.  His love is called grace and there is nothing that we can do or not do that will make Him stop loving us.  When we face trials and difficulties and want to ask why, we need to live in His love and trust that He will walk with us every step of the way.  It comes down to “if” I trust Him and “if” I believe that His steadfast love endures forever.  Since there is no “if” in him, we should get rid of our personal “if.”