In the Hebrew mind hesed is always something you do. It is a verb. It is loading wounded people on donkeys, running to greet runaway children, forgiving enormous debts, paying someone who worked an hour as much as the ones who worked all day, giving a party to those who can’t pay you back. It is a resonant response to the overwhelming kindness of the God of Exodus 34, who is full of hesed.

Let’s ask for the grace to be in awe of the God who, when he opened the door of his life to us, had this word consistently on his lips, remembering that even though we have no right to expect anything from him he is pleased to give us everything. He is pleased to open his heart and life to us precisely because he is the God of hesed.

Let’s let go of the illusion that hesed can be reduced to one English “literal” word and instead see it as a key that can open a door into an entire world – the world of God’s own heart, the world of loving.

Then Luke commits his most grievous error, and I’m not sure I will ever be able to forgive him for it, at least this side of heaven. Luke reports in verse 27 that Jesus explained everything concerning himself in the Old Testament. What was Luke possibly thinking? The greatest Bible lesson of all time, and yet we have not a single word!

Behind every specific call, whether it is to teach or preach or write or encourage or comfort, there is a deeper call that gives shape to the first: the call to give ourselves away – the call to die.

A hunger for beauty is at its heart a hunger for God.

But our wounds are part of who we are...and there is nothing left to chance....And pain's the pen that writes the songs....That call us forth to dance

To allow myself to be loved by God in my deepest brokenness is to experience a love that defies human comprehension.

To know that God loves us in the state of grace or disgrace is the most powerful motivation to respond with the aid of grace to His loving call.

To be rooted in love is to look beyond surface appearances to see the inner beauty in others often disfigured by sin.