The Apostle John wrote these comforting words in his letter: “God is love.”
Who doesn’t want to be loved?
These three words, left without a full theological understanding, can be confusing, manipulated and abused. The reality is that God loves you more than you can imagine. I truly mean that as a limit of our capacity to mentally and emotionally understand the limitless and unconditional love of God.
One misconception is that God’s love for you changes based upon your behavior. God’s love is unchanging and eternal. He cannot love you any more and He cannot love you any less.
This amazing love is for all humanity. It is not just a reality for those in the faith but outside the faith as well.
This is an important point we must hold tightly in our hearts: God loves everyone.
Take a moment and think of the vilest person you can and then apply the fact that God loves them too.
God loves you just the way you are. However, He loves you too much to leave you this way.
He may not love our behavior or the evil that we have done, but God’s love is unchanging. It is our evil selfish behavior that draws us away from Him.
God’s position does not change; rather, we are the ones who walk or run away.
His love is not a promise of an easy comfortable life. He warns us of things to avoid and rules to adhere to that are safe and good.
As any parent with rebellious young adults will share, they rebel against authority and want to strike out on their own, and we reluctantly allow them. We allow them to live life and the consequences of their actions.
All the while, we love our children. We may not love what they are doing but we love them nonetheless. Similarly, God allows us to stray, but it does not change His love for us.
God allows us to stray from His love and to face the difficulties of life so that our realization of His love (faith) can be strengthened. It is the struggles in life, the disappointments in others, the regrets of love given hastily to unworthy people that make God’s consistent love more bright and attractive.
So often in love we expect a return or benefit from giving that love to another. How many sentences have begun, “If you truly loved me you would ….”
This is not God’s agape love. His love is without strings, loopholes or expectations. He just loves you and wants the best for you.
Of course, God rightly believes that He is the best for you — so much so that He sent His own self in Jesus to pay the price and to pave the way of you being able to return to Him.
There is no greater love than a man who is willing to lay down his life for another and God did that for you and all humanity.
Why would you avoid God’s love? Turn from the darkness back to the light and allow His ways to transform your life and your love toward others.
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October 03, 2020 at 11:00AM
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Theology of Love | Religion - yoursun.com
"Love" - Google News
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