God's Love

How Does God Love You?

The Astounding---Unfathomable---Incredible---Amazing LOVE GOD HAS FOR US!!!

These are the words that Paul the apostle used to try to get us to realize the wonder of God's love is:

I pray that you being rooted and established in LOVE may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the LOVE of Christ. And to know this LOVE that surpasses knowledge--That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

He is saying that we can have the very essence of GOD poured into our lives! In order for us to understand what the apostle is talking about here let us note that the LOVE we are considering is a divine love that is unconditional and undeserved. It originates with God but is imparted to men as they respond to it. His prayer is therefore, that we, each of us, might be completely filled with it and fully understand it. He calls it the fullness of God.

God's love is the central fact and theme of the Bible. Love is God's unchanging nature or essence. "God is love" John says in his first epistle. In Jer 31:3 God says he loves with an everlasting love. Paul says: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." [Rom 8:38-39] In other words this love is so powerful and tenacious that nothing can ever change it or its hold on our lives.

God's love is so wide it takes in every nation, every tribe, every culture, every language. It takes in every sinner from the little one who told a little white lie to Hitler who tried to murder a nation. It leaves no one out.
God's love is so long it is everlasting, his mercy endures forever, it is longsuffering and kind.It never quits.
God's love is so high it is totally righteous, absolutely truthful and absolutely just. It never makes a mistake.
God's love is so deep it is perfect compassion, perfect understanding, perfect sacrifice and perfect grace.It brings perfect redemption.

The nature of God's love is such that He is reaching out to us with an intense longing and a divine purpose to bring us into a friendly relationship with him. He says: "Behold I stand at the door and knock: If any man will hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." [Rev 3:20] Jesus said: "I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me he will bear much fruit." [John 15:5] "As the father has loved me so have I loved you. Now remain in my love". [John 5:9] "God so loved---that whosoever---should not perish but have everlasting life." [John 3:16] "I go to prepare a place for you--- that where I am you may be also." [John 4:2-3]

God's love is impartial and unconditional. It makes no difference who we are, or what our condition, his love extends to us. God loves men because he has chosen to love them. He loves them in spite of their sin, filthiness, pride, arrogance, and rebellion. No reason for his love can be given. But the love of God is free, spontaneous, unevoked, uncaused. His love for us is such that he cannot be happy, satisfied and fulfilled until we his beloved are out of trouble and danger. His purpose and delight is to comfort, inspire provide for, educate, guide and love us so that we may be fulfilled in doing the same to others. There is joy (God's own joy) in the presence of the angels when a person recieves this Jesus and his love. "For there is no respect of persons with God." [Rom 2:11]; "God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right" [Acts 10:34-35]; "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us." [Rom 5:8]; "But because of his great love for us, God---made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions." [Eph 2:4] In his crucifixion Jesus willingly suffered intense pain, thirst, mockery, injustice, cruelty, shame, and abandonment. In spite of the fact that he knows the very core of who we are and our rebellion and our selfishness, and our sin. He poured out his lifeblood as an atonement for us. He took the punishment that should have been ours.. He himself said, "Greater love hath no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." [John 15:13] But he did it even for us who were his enemies. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ lay down his life for us." [1 John 3:16a] "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities." [Isa 53:3-5] God has an intense longing and an urgent desire to establish a deep mutual relationship with you and me, his created ones.

The friendship that he desires would be restored in those persons who would put their faith in him. Adam (and his descendants) were created for one divine and eternal purpose: To love and fellowship with God but he had to give them the choice. Love cannot be coerced it must be freely chosen. By choice then Adam and all who were born after him were born in sin and strayed from God, going their own way and doing their own thing. Sin means breaking God's law, that is, doing what we know is wrong because we don't love God and others as we should. Since God's law was lovingly designed to protect and enhance your life, you are at risk if you ignore, or disobey it. When you disobey it you show contempt for God's love and care, saying, in effect, that you know better than he does what is best for you. It appears, then, that you have no respect for his wisdom or the fact that he created you and the world in which you live. Even though he loves you dearly fellowship between he and you is broken. He can not comfort you with his presence nor protect you by his power

The guilt you carry damages your mind as well as your body. You are unable to love as you ought.Because he loves you so much he is deeply hurt because you push him away and then pretend everything is all right and sometimes even claim you love him. The Father has created you in his own image, the very greatest product of his creative genius, and Jesus, in love, has purchased your salvation by death on the cross to provide forgiveness for your sin. How do you think he feels when you reject all this so that you can sin as you please. Sin is a horrible master. When sin takes hold you cannot escape without God's help. He still loves you, longs for you. It makes no difference how far you have gone or what you have done. He is ready to help you. He wants to forgive your sin and adopt you into his family.

Pray now "Dear Lord, I know that you love me, I repent and turn from my sin. Fill me with your love. Amen.