Love Changes Everything

Knowing you are loved changes everything.  If we believe someone is acting against our best interest, we are naturally suspicious.  Our defenses go up and we are not likely to receive anything that is said.  When someone comes up to my door and offers me free services or appliances, I am most wary.  Giving away things is not a successful business model, so I wonder what the catch is.  It is easy to wine and dine someone in the hope of receiving profit, but this is not love.  True love has no catch as it acts unselfishly for the benefit of others.

The love of God is different than all earthly loves which come to an end.  Love offered that is refused remains unfulfilled, and receiving God's love by faith in Him is most fulfilling.  Anyone can mouth the words "I love you" but Jesus demonstrated His love for us while we were yet sinners.  In contrast to the greatest love a human can muster Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  God's love toward us was not because we were worthy or He hoped for satisfaction from us:  God's love springs from His goodness, compassion and grace.  The love of God is sacrificial in all aspects, for He gives, provides, protects, forgives and saves at His own expense.

Knowing God loves us helps us receive His instruction and correction.  Interestingly, Jesus did not walk around telling people how much He loved them.  He spoke of God's love as transcending humanity in magnitude, duration and power.  As Jesus demonstrated His love in death for lost sinners, so He did during His life:  He walked in love towards all by walking with people, talking with them, wept with those who grieved, healed the sick, delivered those possessed by demons and raised the dead.  When He raged against the hypocritical Pharisees He did so moved by love for them and the people they deceived.  He was patient with His disciples who did not understand Him and argued among themselves who would be the greatest--when Jesus infinitely surpassed them all in love, righteousness and grace.  He was rejected and hated, and yet He loved.  How great and persistent is Christ's love!

1 John 3:1 says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him."  God's love transforms us through relationship with Him.  Before I knew her name, I remember the look the woman who would be my future wife gave me.  It was startling; she grabbed my attention because no one looked my way that way.  This beautiful woman in time became my beloved wife because out of love in her eyes toward me.  The love of Jesus for us transcends all romantic ideals, and knowing He first loved us ought to grab our attention and command a response from us:  will we be drawn to Jesus Christ because of His love for us or will we pursue a foolish ideal that does not exist?  You will never find an undying, active, unconditional love like God's toward us undeserving souls.  Because Jesus first loved us, we love Him.