Meditating on God’s love….
How marvellous and wonderful is our God! Our knowledge and understanding of God is so limited. There is however enough said about God in His word to overwhelm us with awe for a God who far exceeds what we could ever imagine or desire.
God has many beautiful and glorious attributes. One of His attributes is love. In fact the Bible does not only say that God loves, but that He is love. His love far exceeds human love. His love is kind, longsuffering and compassionate. He loves us even when we do not deserve to be loved. His love does not change like ours tends to do. He bears with us in our weaknesses and failures. He weeps with those who weep.
God does not only love those who love Him, but even more than that, He loves those who hate Him. He demonstrated His love for us by dying for us while we were still His enemies. He even prayed for those who persecuted Him saying, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”.
We do not have to impress God to be loved; neither do we need to please God to be loved. He simply loves us because He is love and because He created us and desires that we should be His treasured possession. Even though we forsook Him, he bought us back (redeemed us) with His own precious blood. That is how much He desires to spend quality time with us and to be with us for all eternity. Oh, that we would only accept the gift of His love by faith.
Even though suffering is a direct result of man’s rebellion against God; yet in His love, God even uses suffering to lovingly discipline His people whom He loves. His word says that nothing can separate us from His love. The psalmist writes, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me”.
To me one of the saddest realities is that so many people choose to rebel against this loving God and to reject His love. We so often choose the love of friends who do not really love us above the perfect and unconditional love of God. Contrary to God who loved us and gave Himself to us and for us, we are so often selfish and withhold ourselves from God. Ironically in the process we do not only break God’s heart but even more so hurt ourselves. Heartbreakingly, if we persevere in rejecting God’s love we will end in hell in eternal torment.
Sadly many people, who desire God’s love and acceptance, do not accept God’s free gift of love and acceptance which is in Christ Jesus. Instead they try to buy or earn God’s love and acceptance by their own efforts or works. Our best works, however, are as filthy rags in God’s sight. The only works that are acceptable and pleasing to God are the works that our Lord Jesus Christ does in and through us, once we have received Him as God’s free gift of love.
Oh that God in His grace would reveal more of His love to us. When it dawns on us, how much He loves us; it will marvellously change our lives.
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
Jeremiah 31:3
Knowing God's heart 