HE FIRST LOVED US
1 John 4:19 We love Him, because He first loved us.
God created Adam for fellowship, to have children, to have a family. He loves us. It is so interesting that we think about someone we love, and we think no one could love them as much as we do; but the truth is, our love, no matter how great it is, cannot compare to the love God has for each and every one of us! He has proven it over and over again. John 3:16, of course, is the scripture we all know, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God loved us so much that He gave us Jesus, His only Son. He did this, the Bible says, while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). He didn’t wait for us to get it right, He made salvation available to us when we were wrong, showing no love and no respect to Him, our Creator!
Jesus showed us He, too, loved us just as the Heavenly Father does. John 15:13 (ESV) says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus, by faith, laid down His life knowing that you and I would receive that love; we would believe in Him, and willingly make Him the Lord of our lives. I also like what Jeremiah 31:3 says that God the Father loves us with an everlasting love. A love that lasts forever. One thing I know about the love of God, and always say, is that God loves you the same amount now as He did before you received Jesus. What I mean by that is, you did not earn God’s love. Don’t misunderstand me, you can be more or less pleasing to God at seasons in your life, but His love, God’s love, is not earned. It has been freely given to you. Your part is to just receive it. God’s love is not performance based like human love. We tend to love people based on how they treat us, make us feel, what they do for us, and on and on, but not with God. He just loves us with an everlasting love. A love that lasts forever. He will not stop loving you. I didn’t say He would always like what you do or even like hanging out with you if you are away from Him, but loving you? That He will never stop doing.
This is why when you figure out that God really loves you, you will return that love to Him. The scripture shows us that this is evidence that we love God. In John 14:21 (NIV) Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” In Verse 23, He said, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teachings.” It says the same thing in 1 John 5:3, that this is love for God that we keep His commands. Some people don’t like things like this. They think it is performance-based love. Is it? If you really love someone, you want to please them, so you show it. The kind of love God wants in return for giving us everything is to willingly show Him by doing what He says, by keeping His Word, and by keeping His commandments. I don’t look at this as being performance based. I look at it as a corresponding action motivated by my heart. I’m not doing anything to earn God’s love because I can’t; but I am showing Him I love Him by doing what His Word says. God has shown us He loves us. Now, let’s show Him how much we love Him.