GOD LOVES YOU

"We love God, because He FIRST loved us." 

- 1 John 4:19


The understanding of the love of God is the platform, the foundation, for faith and victory in Christ. That understanding is crucial. Instead of worrying yourself about whether you love God, your first responsibility is to know and believe that God loves you. And then receive His love for you. The only way you can dwell in the love of God is by anchoring on His love for you.


"And we have KNOWN and BELIEVED the LOVE that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16, 19).


THE WAY OF LOVE

This also implies that before you can apply the qualities of love to your dealings with God (and your neighbor), you have to understand it first in the dealings of God with you. When you become secured in the love of God for you, your faith will be released to dwell in love.


Therefore, 1 Corinthians 13 is not just about how you should love others. It is first about how God loves you so that you can imitate Him. 


God understands that it is futile to try to imagine His love for you. How can you tell me that God, who is a Spirit, loves me, who has flesh and blood, when God cannot feel what I feel? Love is not something to imagine. God had to demonstrate it graphically for us in His sacrifice of Christ. Just consider Jesus. 


"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15).


"But GOD COMMENDS HIS LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8).


"In this was MANIFESTED THE LOVE OF GOD TOWARD US, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." (1 John 4:9).


Jesus is God come in flesh and blood. Though He lived a perfectly righteous life, He chose to die for us. He suffered, went to the Cross and died, descending to hell; all because of us. He didn't abandon us when we were dead in sin and slaves of Satan. That's the love of God for you in demonstration. God won't stop loving you now. He won't abandon you now. That's how you can understand and apply the love of God.


LOVE IS PATIENT. 

That means God is patient towards you.


LOVE IS KIND. 

That means God is kind to you.


LOVE DOES NOT ENVY. 

Consider Jesus. He didn't envy sinners. He died to save them instead.


LOVE DOES NOT BOAST.

Consider Jesus.


LOVE IS NOT PROUD. 

Consider Jesus. He could have dealt with us in pride. I mean, He was in the form of God, equal with God. But He made Himself of no reputation to identify with us and die for us (Philippians 2:5-7).


LOVE DOES NOT DISHONOR OTHERS.

That means God has no plans to dishonour you. Jesus died to bring us into honour.


LOVE IS NOT SELF-SEEKING. 

God does not deal with you selfishly. Just consider the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.


LOVE IS NOT EASILY ANGERED.

That means you should stop thinking that God is angry with you. Jesus died for you. He received for us the judgment of God's anger. 


LOVE KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS.

God does not have a record of your sins if you repented and asked Him for forgiveness. If He wanted to keep a record of them Jesus would not have died for us.


LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL.

God has no delight in you experiencing evil or doing it. Consider Jesus Christ.


LOVE REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH.

God wants you to know and experience the truth. That gives Him joy. Jesus is the truth. 


LOVE ALWAYS PROTECTS. 

God is always protecting you from evil. Your everlasting protection is in Christ.


LOVE ALWAYS TRUSTS. 

The King James translation says, "believes all things". In other words God trusts you. He believes in you. He has not given up on you. If you are going through any adversity now, Almighty God believes that you will overcome. He believes you will be healed. He knows the strength He has invested in you. He knows He has given you the victory through Christ.


LOVE ALWAYS HOPES. 

The King James translation says, "hopes all things". God is not hopeless concerning you, your circumstances and future. He sees good in your outcome. That's why He believes all things concerning you. He is expecting you to end well.


LOVE ALWAYS PERSEVERES.

God will not abandon you because of what you may be going through. He is not ashamed of you. He identifies with your shame and your pain. If you are ever in doubt consider what Jesus went through for you. He was identifying with you permanently.


LOVE NEVER FAILS. 

Simply put, God will never fail you. He has no plans to fail you. If God will never fail you don't expect to fail.


ANCHOR ON THE LOVE OF GOD

The love of God is the foundation of victorious faith. You cannot love anyone, including yourself, until you believe that God loves you. It's so important that the Holy Spirit dedicated a prayer to this end in Ephesians 3:14-19.


"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,


Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,


That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;


That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being ROOTED and GROUNDED IN LOVE,


May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;


And to KNOW the LOVE OF CHRIST, which PASSES KNOWLEDGE, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God."


EXPERIENCE HIS UNLIMITED LOVE

Until you know that God loves you, you have not started to know Him. Then what does it mean by "to KNOW the LOVE OF CHRIST, which PASSES KNOWLEDGE"? That is not saying you cannot know that God loves you. 1 John 4:16 tells us that we can know the love of God for us. This is saying that you need to know that God loves you so much that you can never exhaust His love for you by experience. Whatever circumstance you find yourself in, the love of God for you is greater than it. Instead you should expect to experience the love of God in another dimension. 


The sovereign and omnipotent God loves you with an unconditional, everlasting and saving love. No circumstance, no man, no devil and nothing in your past or present is powerful enough to separate you from the love of God for you in Christ Jesus. Be persuaded. Believe in the love of God for you and live from that premise.


Thank you Jesus!


READ Romans 8:31-39 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV.


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