I don’t know about you, but I often forget the incredible pursuit of the love of God. I forget that He reached out to us while we hated Him, while we were sinners—our filthy rags of “righteousness” and of outright rebellion all mixed together in a mess and even still He did not turn away. He walked right into that mess and declared Himself victor as He willingly laid down His Life.
Unfortunately, many people don’t have good examples of a father’s love. Their fathers were demanding, or passive, or absent altogether. These people don’t grow up with any understanding of a father who will pursue them to the ends of the earth so that they are convinced of his love. They get to learn about what a father is through their Heavenly Father, though, as they recognize the sacrifice and all-out determination of His Love for us.
I see such a difference in my life when I start with a revelation of Jesus’ love for me. I realize my worth based on His love and don't try to gain acceptance through people. I rest in my nearness to Him rather than trying to earn and produce to gain His presence. I see others with His patience and tenderness instead of being annoyed because they are getting in the way of my plan. (Believe me, this isn't every day but I sure enjoy the days I do!)
His Life within allows us to be so filled up with His love that it comes spilling out to others, and we don’t need them to make us anything. We get to enjoy them and see them as God sees them, not because we are trying to in our own strength but as a natural outflow of life in the Spirit. The promises of God are exactly that—promises, rather than demands on our own power to try to fulfill them. He promises that His Life will bring all of this to fulfillment and completion.
Most days, though, we think of all the things we need to do for God and forget what He has done for us and continues to do. He loved us first. We didn’t do anything to deserve that.
When my babies were born, I loved them instantly with a powerful love I didn’t know existed before them. They did nothing to create this in me—in fact, many would assume the crying, pooping, not sleeping and general crazy of newborns would drive that love right out of a mother or father. But it doesn’t. Every morning, even when the night had been very short, it was a joy to rediscover the tiny creature God had brought me.
I love the way God relates to us as His children. We have become children of God, and we have done nothing to earn that privilege. In fact, we have done everything we could to dissuade Him from giving us that status. Instead of turning away, though, He comes back to us again and again with amazing Love. Thanks be to God, who loves us with such grace and incredible fervor. I hope you can soak in His Love today, growing in the revelation of what a difference knowing Him makes in your daily life.
The light of God’s love shined within us when he sent his matchless Son into the world so that we might live through him. This is love: He loved us long before we loved him. It was his love, not ours. He proved it by sending his Son to be the pleasing sacrificial offering to take away our sins. Delightfully loved ones, if he loved us with such tremendous love, then “loving one another” should be our way of life! 1 John 4:9-11 TPT