In this reading, Scot McKnight reminds us that God promises to be there for us, and God takes that promise seriously. God is so serious about that promise that he makes a covenant with Abraham that He will always be there. In Abraham's day, a covenant was legally binding to death. If someone broke a covenant they made with another person, that someone could be put to death. God made that kind of promise to Abraham and to us. God is putting himself on the line and says that if our relationship is broken with him, it's not because he's backed away. He's there for us, no matter what, waiting for us.

In God's call for us to love him and then love others, we are called to have that same neverending love for the people around us. That isn't something we can do on our own, though. We need to rely on God to love others through us.

Sometimes it's easy to see God as being "way up there." What are some ways that God has shown his love to prove that his is right here with you? How has God used you to show that kind of love to others?