2:191 – God’s Love: What Is It?
#faithbites #faithjourney love

My understanding is of being a Christian means trying to walk in Jesus’s footsteps by believing in God, living by the law, and having faith. While these things seem simple, what does it mean to have God’s Love and how do we show God’s Love?

In our scriptures we will look as verses that talk specifically about God’s Love. My interpretation is God’s Love is unending, unconditional, all encompassing, ever forgiving, and more than we deserve but by Christ we are United to him.

If we are to be “a good Christian” or show God’s Love, shouldn’t our love look like that? Loving all people, loving even though they may not deserve it, and loving through all things? Sure, we can disagree and debate, but when we start casting people out for their beliefs or not loving them because they are different then are we showing God’s Love anymore?

Scripture

• Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”  – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
• This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, – 1 John 5:2-3

Reflection

You might be familiar with the 1 Corinthians verses as many use them in weddings to express the love of the bride and the groom. We know that God and Jesus are Love. If you replace the word love with either God or Jesus, you get a taste of what God’s Love really is. Human love pales in comparison. The question is, do we even make a good faith effort in our actions with each other?

The 1 John verses makes it even more simple. If we love God, we carry out his commands we know his Commands are Love God and Love people.

I may sound like a broken record, but if we want to live on Christ and his image, we need to remember the thief comes to steal and destroy. It’s much easy to destroy if there are boundaries between us. Don’t let Satan take you away from God by not loving as we should. Sure loving all opens us up to hurt and pain, but if we look to Jesus, isn’t that exactly what he did for our salvation?

Charge

Before you shred someone online, think of that is how God would love. When you turn away from someone or don’t do what you said you would do, think about how God would love. We have opportunities every day to get better at loving and understanding. It starts with trying.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for your love. Thank you for the youth around the country going to share your love at the National Youth Gathering. Be with them. Help all of us to be better at loving like you love. We see differences in each other and act as the world acts rather than in love. We apologize. Forgive us and help us to remember your example of what love is. In your name, Amen.

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