God Is Love

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  1John 4:8 (NIV)

God loves us.  He always has, and He always will.  He showed His love at creation.  He showed His love throughout the Old Testament.  He showed His love as told in the Gospels.  He showed His love at Calvary, and demonstrated His love in power at the resurrection.  His Word speaks of His love in the Epistles.  He speaks His love every day if we will take the time to pray and listen for Him while we pray.

Paul states in most eloquent terms in Romans 8:35-40 of God’s desire to keep us close to Him.  “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written, ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nsr 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.”  These verses can be shortened to “Nothing in all of creation can keep God from loving us.”  But the listing of all the possible things that might keep us from the love of God calls our attention to the magnitude of God’s love for us.

We all have trouble in life, but that can’t keep us from the love of God.   Hardships are a part of everyday life, but they can’t keep us from God’s love.  I haven’t suffered from famine, and I’ve always had clothes to wear, but Paul tells us that they can’t keep us from experiencing the love of God.  I’ve never been in the military or police service where I’ve faced danger or today’s “swords,” guns, but I have been told and have read that “there are no atheists in foxholes.”  There are people today, yes even today, who are facing danger and death because of their belief in our great God.  I stand in awe of those who have said in the face of these extreme dangers, “I will not renounce my faith in Jesus Christ.”  

Paul is convinced that God’s love will not be kept from us by either death or life.  Neither will spiritual beings, angels or demons, keep God’s love from us.  Today won’t, tomorrow won’t, and no power can come between us and the love of God.  No mountain is tall enough, and no ocean is deep enough to block God’s love.   No, nothing in creation can separate us from the love of God.  We are His, and He will love us forever.

I’m certain you noticed that I repeated every problem mentioned in Romans 8:35-40 in the precedng paragraph, and you may have found that to be repetitious.   Let’s look at it from God’s perspective.   How many times has he had to help us through problems and hardships.  I know that it has been many, many times in my life.  I’m so glad that He doesn’t say, “I’ve helped you with that problem once, that’s it.”  He’s not a “one and done” God when it comes to helping us with our daily lives.  The fact of the faithfulness of His love, no, the TRUTH of the faithfulness of His love resounds through the centuries.   

What does God expect from us in return?  A Pharisee once asked Jesus about this in Matthew 22:36  (NIV), “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”  Jesus answered, in verses 37 to 40:  “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’”  God created us, and that gives Him the right to ask that we love Him, but He expects us to expand our love to our neighbors and love the people He loves.

 

Come back next time for a deeper dive into God’s love and our response to it