“I have loved you with an everlasting love:
I have drawn you with loving kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3
God has created us in His image and, in the Scriptures, the clearest description we have of our Creator is, “God is love.” (I John 4:7) We have been created by love for love. But, instead of seeking and nurturing love in our lives, many of us try to find fulfillment in achievements, status, pleasure or wealth. God is appealing to us to discover that it is His love that gives us the security and fulfillment we are looking for.
God has wanted His love for us to be known since the beginning of creation. He appeared to Moses and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” (Exodus 34:6) The Old Testament prophets often spoke of God’s “covenant of love.” (Deuteronomy 7:12, I Kings 8:23, Nehemiah 9:32) But the Hebrew people misunderstood the nature of His love. They thought they had to earn it by perfectly obeying the law and, human nature as it is, no one was succeeding. Something more needed to be revealed. God intervened in human history. He sent his Son to live among us, to reveal His Father’s love and to set us free. Because of Jesus, sin and death cannot destroy us or our fellowship with God. “This is how God showed His love among us. He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. (I John 4:9)
People ask, “Where is God’s love when there is famine, disease and injustice?” In creating humankind, God in His wisdom allowed His creatures freedom of choice -- to choose blessing or evil, life or destruction -- to choose to follow Him or to go their own way. (Deuteronomy 30:19) Unfortunately, in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose to go their own way and they forfeited their relationship with God. Fallen from God’s grace, they were exposed to evil and placed under the natural law of cause and effect. All of humankind, as well as nature, have been impacted by their rebellion, producing greed, famine, disease and injustice. There will always be mystery in life, but God has promised that in all things He “works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”(Romans8:28)
In order to know Him and the depth of His love for us, God wants us follow His commands and live in His will. (Exodus 15:13, John 14:23) Many people look at the prospect of doing God’s will as something unpleasant because they think it will restrict their lives. Christians over the centuries, however, have discovered that to live according to God’s will brings freedom, peace and creative fulfillment. (John 7:17)
God wants us to be obedient because He loves us and wants to bless us. When we believe this, it helps us to have clearer insight into His will. When our minds are clouded by negative feelings, we become uncertain about God’s love or we feel unworthy of His blessings. Our faulty thinking influences the decisions we make. We begin to look at life as a glass half empty instead of half full, and we miss opportunities that God could bring. Some people even believe they deserve punishment, and they choose relationships and circumstances that bring harm to them. They are choosing curses instead of blessings. When we trust in God, we are choosing blessings. David wrote: “I trust in your un- failing love and my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord for He has been good to me.” (Psalm 13:5)
If we are unable to trust God, we are trusting in ourselves and will probably suffer from stress. The basis of much of our stress is fear -- fear of failure, rejection, disease or loneliness. God promises that His love will heal my fear if I will only trust Him. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (I John 4:18)
God occasionally allows difficult circumstances to challenge us. He wants us to trust Him at deeper levels so we will experience further depths of His love. We are to be “rooted and established in love...to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge ... filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17b-19)
Our knowing God’s love was so important to Jesus that He took time just before His death to pray that all His followers would experience the intimate love of His Father and would respond in love. (John 17:20-26, Matthew 22:37-38) So it is important for us not to dwell on the frustrations of life but to count our blessings and respond to God with grateful love.
Complaining closes the doors of our hearts, while gratitude is evidence of our trust and opens our hearts to enjoy His love. To grow in God’s love is to be the most important goal of our lives.
How can we grow in God’s love? We begin by not loving the things of this world, so there is room in our hearts for the love of God. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world -- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does -- comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (I John 2:15-17)
God promises to pour His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5) We don’t have to be intellectually brilliant, or advanced in our knowledge of theology, to receive the riches of His love. (James 2:5) All we need is to open our hearts through reading the Scriptures, through prayer and through private and public worship.. Then we can practice sensitive and wise outreaches of love: “Follow the way of love...do everything in love -- live a life of love just as Christ loved us”...until our love matures “in knowledge and depth of insight.” (I Corinthians 14:1, 16:14, Ephesians 3:2, Philippians 1:9-11)
God enables us to love because He first loves us. The more we love, the more God lives in us and His love becomes a part of us. (I John 4:12) Our lives are being transformed and we are being prepared to enjoy the fullness of love in heaven throughout eternity.
Why do so many
people choose wealth, pleasure and status over God’s love?
In
reviewing your life, who or what helped you develop your understanding of God’s
unconditional love?
Suggestion for Prayer-Listening
Heavenly Father, because your word says that “the one who fears is not made perfect in love,” is there any fear lying unrecognized in me that is keeping me from receiving more of your love?
Suggestion for Meditation
Meditate on the following passage, spending a few moments after each phrase:
“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He takes great delight in you, he quiets you with his love, he rejoices over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17 - present tense mine)
Encouragement for Ministry Leaders
Our mistakes and failures He lovingly weaves into the tapestry of our lives, redeeming our negative circumstances and bringing good out of them (Romans 8:28). And because Christ’s love compels us (II Corinthians 5:14-16), when our lives touch others, they are changed by love (I John 4:15-17). Praise God for His magnificent love!