If you have ever had a good friend betray you? I’ll bet on some level you regretted all the time and energy you invested in the friendship. I mean, if you had known the pain you would experience in the future, would you have been so eager to invest in a relationship with that person? If you knew just how many ways that friend would betray you—wouldn’t you have minimized your generosity, love, support, and time? I suspect I’m not alone in thinking this way. I’m not sure any of us are capable of giving unreserved love for someone we KNOW will betray us.
But God does it every day.
Jesus gave unreserved love to Judas, Peter, and each of his disciples despite knowing that they would betray Him and hide from Him when it became too risky for them to stand by Him. My friend, we are no different than the disciples! God knows every future crime I will commit against His love over the entire course of my life on this planet and yet—TODAY—He chooses to give me His very best love. He has ALL the present knowledge of my future crimes and yet—His love for me today never fails. Why??? HOW can He love like this???
God’s love isn’t conditioned on our performance—it’s based upon His character—HE is love. (1 John 4:7-8)
We humans are ONLY capable of giving this kind of remarkable love to others—when it comes from God. We must first be born into the family of God so that His Spirit indwells us. When Jesus makes our soul and spirit alive, His character resides in us. We are “in Christ.” This character especially includes love. God IS love and He’s never afraid to give love—even to His enemies—because He will never run out of Himself. When we are born again AND making God the center of our life—we have a working knowledge of His deep and abiding love. How do we get to a point where we know WE won’t run out? Well, through living in loving obedience and allowing the character of God to dominate our life instead of—the fallen nature of our flesh.
The only unending source of love that we possess—comes from God
The Apostle Paul explained this remarkable working knowledge of God’s love which empowers us to love—even if we’re facing death:
“WHO shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’
Yet in ALL these things we are MORE than conquerors through HIM who LOVED us.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:35-39
If we are FULLY persuaded that NOTHING can separate us from the deep, unending well of God’s love—then we become unafraid to give love to others without reservation. We can give it to our enemies. We can give it to those we KNOW will hurt us. We can give and give because we live in the CENTER of the SOURCE and HE—never runs out.
God also helps us love like He does by not allowing us to know our future pain. To love like God, we don’t need to know the future and we shouldn’t dwell on the pain of the past. He lives in the future and He forgives the past. We need only to know Him. His love paid the price for our sin. His love draws us into a relationship like none we have ever experienced. His love never fails. When we seek to live each day in loving obedience to Him, we aren’t afraid to love others the way He loves us.
“Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.”
Psalms 143:8 NKJV
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith and the mission of Faith Strong, click HERE.
Out Now – Essential Faith, Volume II. Find it on Amazon by clicking HERE.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith’s ministry Fostering By Faith, click HERE.
3 Responses
I want you to know and be encouraged. I read your message every day during my time with The Lord. Thank you for allowing God to use you to minister to others
Thank you for your encouraging words! Praise be to God who allows us to be part of His glorious work!
God knows what we need We just must trust him.