The Love of God - Part 2
When we talk of the love of God, there is no way we can exhaust the subject; we can barely scratch the surface. God’s love is vast and comprehensive, full and abundant, perfect and unconditional. He loves with everything He is because as the apostle John told us, “God is love”. 1 John 4:11
The love of God is not like the love we picture in our minds where everything goes our way, we are comfortable, have everything we want, and everyone dotes on us. God’s love is hard, painful, and misunderstood, but it’s the greatest love we will ever experience. We can’t be separated from His love because of any bad choice we make, or anything bad that happens to us in this life. That’s because He has promised to be with us always. (Matthew 28:20 and Hebrews 13:5) When we hurt, He is there.
“When we are enjoying the best life has to offer, He is there. God’s love surpasses anything we can conjure or think. Once we have accepted His love for us in the sacrifice of Christ, we are forever covered by His love through the blood of Christ. Consider the following verses and dwell on the love of God: God's Word describes His love for us. Although these verses may be familiar to you, read them carefully and truly hear what God has to say: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” -Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV
“God’s love is steadfast, unmoving, and unchanging. It never ends. It is not conditional on our response or our choice to love Him in return. He is always faithful in His love for us, no matter our response. He is waiting and ready to forgive every morning as we confess our sins to Him, no matter what we’ve done. Then He is able help us better comprehend His love so we understand that His love shown to us by His grace isn’t to be used as a license to continue sinning.” -Romans 6
“God’s love is vast and comprehensive, full and abundant, perfect and unconditional.”
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 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. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.” -1 John 4:7-12 NIV
“The love we experience for others is a result of being a child of God. Unless we’ve been born into the family of God by confessing Jesus as God’s only Son, we cannot truly love. Unless the love of God is in us, we cannot love to full capacity because love comes from God through us to others. God continually loves us as He gives Himself to us and seeks our benefit. When we love like Him, it’s impossible to do so selfishly; when we love like God, we do so unconditionally, seeking the good of the other person, not our own good. This sacrificial love cannot be achieved on our own. We have to be surrendered to the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Then He can produce His fruit of love through us to others.” -Galatians 5:22
“God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” -Romans 5:5 NIV
God’s love for us never ends. Nothing we experience can change His love for us. Take delight in God's love for you today.
- written by Jeanie Gainey, Deacon of Women’s Ministry