Weekly Devotion - #4

Read: I John 4:7- 10

Mother's Love

"...God is love"--I John 4:8

The closest love on earth is a mother's love for her child. There are many things that will separate a man from his wife, but there is nothing in the world that will separate a true mother from her own child. A true mother will never, never turn against her own child.

A story is told of a boy who was very wicked. He had a wicked father who seemed to delight in teaching his son everything that was bad. The father died and the boy became more and more wicked until he was arrested for murder.

When he was on trial, it was learned that he had murdered five other people. From all over the city people spoke angrily against him. During the trial, the courthouse had to be guarded because the people in the city were so angry.

In the courtroom the boy's white-haired mother sat just as near her son as she could. Every witness that spoke against him seemed to hurt her more than it hurt her son. When the jury brought in the verdict of guilty, the people shouted for joy but the old mother nearly fainted. When the judge announced that the boy must die, they thought she would surely die. After everything was finished, she put her arms around her son and kissed him. The boy had to be forcefully pulled away from her arms. Later, when he died by hanging, she begged the governor to let her have his body to bury it. The governor refused.

A few months later as she was dying, she begged the governor to allow her body to be buried close to her son. That is a mother's love! She was not ashamed to have her grave pointed at for all time as the grave of the mother of the worst criminal in the state of Vermont.

A mother's love is great, but it cannot be compared to the love of God. God loved us so much that He gave His Son to die for us (John 3:16). Will you trust Christ for your personal Saviour? If you are already saved, thank God for his love and salvation. [JM]

THOT: God's love is like the sun...always shining!

TODAY: Take a minute to be thankful for the love of God.

This lesson is from  30 Heart Touching Devotions available from SWM.

You have permission to copy for personal and church use.