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In February we consider the prospect of love. Hearts, flowers, candy, and Valentine’s Day focus on romantic love, but I would like to consider the very strongest form of love, agape. This selfless love is given freely, without obligation or regardless of worth. It is the type of love that God bestows on us.
Several years ago, I was trapped in a lie believing that God didn’t really love me. At the time I was so focused on my sin and unworthiness, that guilt overrode truth. When I picked up the book by Nancy Leigh DeMoss titled, Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets them Free, I discovered that I was not alone in my feelings and thought processes. It is the second lie that she addresses in her book, but knowing I was not the only one who thought this way did not fix the problem.
Confronting a Lie
The best way to confront a lie is by examining the truth. So after identifying these negative feelings, and having a good cry, I grabbed my Bible and my journal. I sat down and started looking up verses that examined God’s love. Here are five truths that I found:
1. Even Though We are Sinners, God Loves Us.
Romans 5:6-8 “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
These verses met me right where I was. While reading them, it struck me that God didn’t wait for me to get my act together before He showed me His love. In fact, He loved me so much that He offered me an opportunity to have a relationship with him regardless of whether or not I would believe. I now understand that God’s love is not based on my actions or performance. It does not ask me to be perfect or worthy, but rather to simply accept His gift of salvation and grace.
2. The Cross Proves that God’s Love is Stronger than Sin
John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
Christians know and understand that sin separates us from God. Yet, God loved humanity so much that He did not want to leave us on a divergent path. Instead, he made a way for us to be saved through His perfect and sinless Son. Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died a horrible death on the cross, and then rose again. When we believe, we are saved and adopted as His children (Romans 8:15). Instead of being judged and condemned by what we do or don’t do as individuals, we can now stand before God with confidence.
Ephesians 2:9-10 “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”
3. Nothing Can Separate us From God’s Love.
Romans 8:38-39 “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Biblical Truth is important because it is not based on sentiment or sensation. Even when I feel unloved or unlovable, God still loves me. It is a free gift, a gift I don’t have to earn. And nothing, physical, spiritual, or mental can interfere with the reality of God’s love.
4. The Closer We Draw to God, the More We Feel His Love.
Ephesians 3:17-19 “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”
God is love (1 John 4:16). It is part of his character and the make-up of his being. We may never completely comprehend His love, but when we meditate on it, we gain strength and are made complete.
5. God’s Love Overflows Our Hearts and Gives Us the Ability to Obey Him and Show Love to Others.
John 15:13: “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.”
The knowledge that God loves us should change us. Bringing joy, it touches our souls and produces more love in our hearts. When we feel the love of a close friend, family member, or lover, we want to spend more time with them. So it is with our relationship with God. When we feel His love, we desire to obey, read his love letter to us (the Bible), and communicate with Him through prayer. This love multiplies in our hearts causing us to love Him more. Suddenly, that love overflows to those around us causing us to love others better.
Never Far From Love
It’s almost Valentine’s Day and people not in a dating relationship may feel left out of all the February festivities, but no one is blocked from the love of God. It is always available and comforting. It saturates our lives and spills out into our thoughts and actions.
This month, I pray that you will soak yourself in the truth presented in the simple children’s song, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Your soul will be soothed and your uneasiness appeased.
I can’t think of a better time to focus on the love of God than February. Can you?
