My first assignment as a college freshman was to write a paper on any ‘classic’ book.
“Can I write my paper on the Bible?” I asked my English professor innocently. I didn’t know of a more classic book than the Bible.
“Yes,” my English teacher replied, “but the Bible is a long book with many different topics. Choose one topic.”
I chose the topic of…LOVE, having no idea how much the Bible has to say on the topic, and how much I needed to study it.
I’d felt God’s Love follow me through my life, but to stop and study it was magnificent.
“The only thing that can change us, the world, is this – all His love.” – Ann Voscamp, 1000 gifts
I honestly feel nervous about writing this post for two big reasons:
1. I can’t find the actual paper I wrote about God’s love. It’s probably on a floppy disk at the bottom of a box in my basement, and
2. Capturing the essence of God’s love in one paper or blog post is like explaining the ocean by giving you one drop of water.
What I remember about the college assignment was that it forced me to dig into God’s Word and discover what it said about God’s Love. I found that the more I studied God’s love, the more my heart was filled with His goodness and love!
While I watched as other college freshman searched for significance in temporary fixes, I found lasting significance right there in the pages of my Bible. I was growing in my awareness that I was unconditionally LOVED by the Creator of the Universe. I was His Beloved Daughter.
‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!’ 1 John 3:1
The Creator of the universe loves you … exactly who you are, with all your faults and inadequacies—He thinks you are worthy of love!
Becoming a mom helped me understand God’s love even more than before. Having children opens up a new kind of love: a sacrificial love. I had no idea I could love someone who requires so much of me. But that’s when I began to see, at a deeper level, how much God loves me. He literally gave everything for me, even His life.
I can see how He still loves me when I mess up because I love my children that way. I’m disappointed when they choose wrong, because I know it hurts them. When they hurt, I hurt. But my love for them doesn’t change.
Though I understood God’s love more after becoming a mother, the love I have for my children doesn’t compare to the love God has for us. God’s love transcends human love. God’s love is unconditional—not based on His feelings or our actions. He doesn’t love us because we’re lovable or because we make Him feel good; He loves us because He is love.
Take a minute and learn from your children. Matthew 11:25 says:
“At that time Jesus said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.’”
There are certain things we can learn from our children. For instance, they never turn down a gift. When you give a child something, he or she will receive it immediately, with no questions asked! Children don’t wonder if they’ve earned it or if they deserve it. They just take it. We must learn from our children and receive God’s love like that. It’s a gift!
If you’ve never received the GIFT of God’s love, stop now and tell God that you want to know Him and receive His Love!
Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
God’s not in love with a future version of you; He is in love with you just as you are.
If you are having a hard time accepting or understanding God’s love, pray Ephesians 3:17-19 over yourself right now, and again each morning:
I pray that you (I), being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Begin to search the Scriptures for what it says about love. Read each verse and let the truth of God’s Word fill your heart with comfort, confidence, peace, joy and love.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3
God so desperately wants you to rest in His love. He wants you to live your life knowing you are loved.
Close your eyes and imagine this…
Imagine yourself curled up in your Father’s lap.
Listen to Him tell you that He loves you.
Bask in the safety of His love.
Now … go about your day knowing you are loved and showing that love to each person you encounter.
Questions for further study:
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What is love according to 1 John 4:10?
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How did God show us His Love according to 1 John 4:9?
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How big is God’s love according to Psalm 36:5?
Next step:
- Sing the song “Jesus Loves Me” all by yourself, or with your children, reminding yourself that you are unconditionally loved by Jesus.
- For further study on this topic, you may also want to read The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning or What’s God Really Like? by SJ Hill
Have you encountered God’s Great Love for you? If so, leave me a comment and share how that has impacted you? (Leave a comment by clicking on the little comment graphic by the title of this post)
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Here’s a song about God’s love for you.
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