We know from reading the Bible, that “God is love,” but what does God’s love really mean? Many of us tend to think of love as a feeling, but if we have been born again, it’s important to know what GOD says about HIS love instead of just surmising what His love looks like based only upon what we think. Understanding God’s love—the very essence of Who He is—is critical if we want to experience pure, unconditional, supernatural love. Indeed, we can’t HAVE IT or GIVE IT—without Him!
I don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to BE LOVED in the deepest way my soul was created to be loved, do you?
As I was recently teaching a newly born again friend the Bible Concepts, we were discussing the characteristics of God. She asked, “What does the Bible say about HOW God loves?” God led us to briefly discuss 1 Corinthians 13 and later, as I pondered on the magnanimity of God’s love the meaning really started to work deep into my soul. In fact, the next morning, God woke me up at 0330 with a question, “Have you really tried to take a deep dive into understanding my love?” I realized I had NOT—but I wanted to! What God showed me was amazing and I want to share it with you.
The book of 1 John clearly says “God is love,” and then goes on to describe His greatest act of love towards all humanity:
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In THIS is LOVE, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
1 John 4:7-10 NKJV
God is love and love GIVES. Love is OF God and Love is FROM God. Love paid the ultimate sacrifice—so we could live. To know God is to know love. We can’t experience HIS love—without Him. We gather from this passage that “love” is “complete sacrifice of self for the good of others.” But what does God’s love look like in the messy place where we all live? Thank God for His Word, especially 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, which explains:
“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NKJV
My friend, God is so good to give us the very specific details of His marvelous and magnificent love in a simple way we can understand. It is nearly impossible for us to comprehend this kind of love coming from a single being because we live in such a broken world—but God gives us specific examples that apply to everyone everywhere. We understand, have experienced and indeed, have been guilty of—impatience, envy, pride, rudeness, selfishness, etc.
God’s love is explained as the opposite of all of the behavior that has painfully pierced our soul. My friend, God’s love is real, powerful, life-giving, and—it is His great desire for us to experience it. Just look at this list—isn’t it everything you would love to experience in a relationship???
A love that…
- endures hardship and unkindness with patience, humility, and peace.
- seeks to be kind and thoughtful even to those who are unkind and unthoughtful.
- is not jealous or envious of the good things of others; in fact, prays for God’s goodness to others even those who are unkind to us.
- does not brag and is not proud or arrogant; but rather is constantly giving glory to God and credit to others.
- is not rude; but rather, uses a soft answer and kind words—even when presenting hard truths.
- is not self-seeking; but rather seeks to benefit others.
- is not easily provoked; [and not overly sensitive, easily angered, or offended] because the sting of provoking behavior does not and cannot defeat love.
- does not take into account the wrongs endured. It doesn’t keep score because scorekeeping results in unforgiveness and a loss of the presence of God, who IS love. It does not store up the memory of any wrong it has received; it does not cling to the hurts of the past. It never presumes a good action may have a bad motive.
- does not rejoice at injustice to anyone, including those who have wronged them.
- rejoices in the triumphs of the truth of God and His great goodness—both for His glory and for the salvation of souls.
- bears ALL things because it is unchanged by ANYTHING, including difficult circumstances. Love denies herself, sacrifices herself, all for the glory of God.
- believes that all things can be worked for good to the glory of God.
- hopes in all things because God [not things or people] is the primary source of hope and He never changes.
- endures all things without wavering or weakening because love’s strength— flows from God the Giver of strength.
- never fails because God never fails.
THIS is the love of God. This kind of love does not ask for an easy life like self-love does. Love denies herself, sacrifices herself, and gives all. God set the standard for love by the gift of His only Son. The PROOF that we belong to Him is when HIS love (as described above) flows through us.
Until we experience the amazing love of God being poured into us—we will never be able to sustainably share it; but when we allow God’s love inside of us, we can’t ever keep it to ourselves.
Did you know that the PROOF of our relationship is NOT in how knowledgeable we are in His Word, how much we go to church, how beautifully we pray, etc., but rather—in how this His love flows through us? If you are like I have been for many years as a Christian and—have no idea what God’s love looks like yourself—then you can’t possibly be expected to give what you don’t have. My friend, I know this from my own experience as a born again believer who, for years, NEVER developed a flourishing love-relationship with God.
Being filled with the love of God is a journey—and once you are on it—you don’t ever want to return from whence you came.
I know that I sure don’t. Tomorrow’s devotional will explore experiencing God’s love for ourselves and how, when we have it—it intensely transforms our love for others.
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.
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13 Responses
God is the true embodiment of love .
LOVE NEVER fails
Amen!