'Til the Love Runs Out
August 12, 2014
One Republic currently has a song out with a catchy beat. In it, Ryan Tedder sings with a devotion that most girls would dream about:
I'll be your light, your match, your burning sun,
I'll be the bright, and black, that's making you run.
And I feel alright, and we'll feel alright,
'Cause we'll work it out, yeah we'll work it out…
…I'll be your ghost, your game, your stadium.
I'll be your fifty thousand clapping like one
. And I feel alright, and I feel alright,
'Cause I worked it out, yeah I worked it out.
This song really gets you pumped up…until the bridge:
I'll be doin' this, if you ever doubt,
'Til the love runs out, 'til the love runs out.
What the heck does that mean? It doesn’t sound very assuring to me. ‘Til the love runs out? That happens? When does that happen? How much love is there? And if he’s Mr. Devoted in the beginning like this, is he going to use it up quicker than Mr. Average? Tedder pledges to be the most dedicated man you’ve ever met, until he’s just not feeling it anymore.
And yet the song just makes you want to sing for some reason. It has a way of getting stuck in your head too.
Strangely, I was thinking about it during communion. I bet everyone thought the love ran out when Jesus’ lifeless body was taken down from that cross. But there I was partaking in a sacrament that nourishes me with the blessings from his body and blood. There I was, sitting, praying, overwhelmed with gratitude that his love keeps pouring forth. It will never run out. Not even death can stop it. As a matter of fact, his devotion to us is what led him to the cross. The cross tells us that his love will never run out.
But there’s more. He is the fountain of all love. And as I was sitting there praying, participating in this holy sacrament with his covenant body of believers, I was reminded that his love isn’t something that I merely consume. It overflows. I have his love running out of me. I come to the table tired, restless, and in need. But his fountain never runs dry. His Spirit never leaves. His gospel is always true. Jesus never leaves the right hand of the Father, interceding on my behalf. And I am able to love with his love. Love my husband. Love my children. Love my neighbor. Everyone. Because unlike my love, His love never runs out.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38-39). Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
And yet the song just makes you want to sing for some reason. It has a way of getting stuck in your head too.
Strangely, I was thinking about it during communion. I bet everyone thought the love ran out when Jesus’ lifeless body was taken down from that cross. But there I was partaking in a sacrament that nourishes me with the blessings from his body and blood. There I was, sitting, praying, overwhelmed with gratitude that his love keeps pouring forth. It will never run out. Not even death can stop it. As a matter of fact, his devotion to us is what led him to the cross. The cross tells us that his love will never run out.
But there’s more. He is the fountain of all love. And as I was sitting there praying, participating in this holy sacrament with his covenant body of believers, I was reminded that his love isn’t something that I merely consume. It overflows. I have his love running out of me. I come to the table tired, restless, and in need. But his fountain never runs dry. His Spirit never leaves. His gospel is always true. Jesus never leaves the right hand of the Father, interceding on my behalf. And I am able to love with his love. Love my husband. Love my children. Love my neighbor. Everyone. Because unlike my love, His love never runs out.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38-39). Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
