We live in a world where the meaning of love has been badly diluted, distorted, and misrepresented. It has been reduced to a feeling, a desire, even a mere preference, or worse, it’s existence dismissed altogether. And yet, we need it now more than ever. But how will we know where to find it or what it looks like? If we know where to look, the evidence of God’s profound love for us is everywhere. There are countless ways that God shows us His love.
How Does God Show His Love For Us?
It’s so easy to look around our world, at the heaviness, the suffering, the violence, and wonder if there even is a God, for if there was, and was loving, how could He allow this? But the truth is, God is not the source of darkness and pain, He is the rescue from it. When the sin of His most beloved creation (us) destroyed His good and perfect work, He could have scrapped the whole project and destroyed us all. But He didn’t. Why? Because He loves us. Instead, He gave us not just an escape, but restoration through the gift of His son.
The Gift Of His Son
God shows us His great love for us in countless ways, but the greatest and most profound way is through the death of His son:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
And he did it by choice:
“No one take it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have recieved from my Father.”
John 10:18
Jesus willingly gave his own life on the cross for us. He did this even though we did not deserve it. He did this even though he knew many of us would not recieve it, appreciate it, or even believe it. Love shown when it is least deserved is grace, and grace knows it might be taken for granted.
And as if that wasn’t alrealdy enough, God continues to pour his love and grace out on us in so many other ways as well.
The Gift of Belonging
“To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might recieve adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”
Galations 4:5-7
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:19-22
Regardless of our circumstances here in this life, whether we are orphaned, our families broken or strained, whether we have many friends, or few, or none. Whether or not we have a home base, a home town, or even just a home, in Jesus we have a place to belong, and a family, a Father, to belong to. Not just for now, but for eternity!
The Gift of The Church
For we are all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body- whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. even so the body is not made up of one part but of many… so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1 Corinthians 12:13-14, 25-26
Not only do we now belong to God’s family, adopted children and heirs, but we are now part of a body. A place of belonging and purpose here on earth. This body of believers is as fearfully and wonderfully made as our physical bodies, with the ability to comfort, to heal, to rejoice, to delight in our unique design while finding belonging in the whole. Don’t we all want that? The freedom to be wholely and uniquely ourselves and yet still accepted and embraced? What a gift!
The Gift of His faithfulness & Presence
I will never leave you or forsake you. Hebrews 13:5
Hebrews 13:5
God did not create this beautiful world, and us, and then step back and take His hands off to let us sink or swim on our own. He is intimately and lovingly engaged in every moment of our day to day lives. His love is unconditional. Nothing can seperate us from it. He is present with us in every moment.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
Ephesians 1:13
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit (the presence of God) could come and go. It could be given and taken away. But now in Jesus, the presence of the Holy Spirit dwells within us, sealed within us, and can never be taken away. And not only that, but the Holy Spirit also gives gifts!
The Spiritual Gifts
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit…. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthiansn 12:4
And,
Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly
Romans 12:6
To every believer, God gives a Spiritual gift, designed to edify the body and glorify the Lord Jesus. When we use our gifts in genuine love for one another, the physical and spiritual needs of the body get met in the most beautiful ways. In this we find not only our belonging, but our purpose, together.
The Gift Of Grace
The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. Psalm 145:8-9
Psalm 145:8-9
God knows that learning to walk in His genuine, unconditional love for ourselves and others is not possible on our own. He knows the limitations of our humanity, and He is so patient with us. In and of ourselves we will never be able to earn God’s favor, and He does not expect us to. He lavishes love, even and especially when we do not deserve it, and He demonstrated this on the cross, while we were yet sinners. This is grace, His greatest gift of all.
What are some of the ways you have experienced God’s love in your life?