Introduction: Do you ever stop and think about how much God loves you? In other words, we cannot earn His great love or become good enough for Him to love us any more.
There are a number of people, including this writer {once upon a time}, who feel like we are unworthy of His love. But that is what makes His love so amazing, so refreshing, so contagious!
Well, it only stands to reason that with that kind of love, we ought to love one another. Unfortunately, our love is very selfish, which expresses itself with ingratitude at times. Sit back and bask in the love of God through Jesus Christ as we look at God’s love for us and our love for others.
1. God is LOVE! (1 John 4:8; 3:1-3) – “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
Love is an attribute of God. But do not forget, while He is LOVING, He is also HOLY and JUST.
2. God’s LOVE is demonstrated! (1 John 4:10) – “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
In essence, LOVE gives. God gave His Son to be crucified for our sins—wrongdoing. Do you know why He is not selfish? The answer is because He desires a relationship with us. Do you want a love relationship with Him?
3. God’s LOVE is corrective! (Heb. 12:6) – “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”
What a statement! This should help every parent or Christian. God’s LOVE does not only give but also disciplines. We can learn a lot from this verse. Staying balanced is the key.
4. God’s LOVE has purifying power! (1 John 3:1-3) – “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”
You see, His love is perfect—perfect as a parent, perfect in purpose, and perfect in purifying.
5. God’s LOVE is transformational! (1 John 3:17) – “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.”
God’s LOVE is meant to be shared! Are you sharing it?
6. God’s LOVE for us should, in turn, create our LOVE for others! (1 John 4:7, 11) – “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
(1 John 4:20) “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
When we have a bitter or critical spirit toward others, it shows something is wrong with our heart. Are you having heart trouble?
Conclusion: Obviously, the key to LOVING our Lord Jesus is found in 1 John 4:19, which reads, “We love him, because he first loved us.”
Remember, real LOVE for the God of the Bible is going to SHOW (John 15:13).
In addition, it will GROW (2 Cor. 5:14).
Speaking to those in the Church of Corinth as well as to us today, Paul writes: “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”
That sums it up… so SHOW, GROW, and GO with the LOVE of Jesus!
Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese
