True Love
Feb 2, 2017 2790
What’s your experience of love been? If love were a shop, would you go there again?
Beyond the fairy-tale illusions of childhood, most people only ever know love as a constant struggle, a tug-of-war in which you only ever feel loved, if you do what is expected of you, and if you give in return.
Or perhaps you are among those who have loved unconditionally, and then had your heart shattered when you’ve realized that that’s not how you were loved back? You’re not alone – there are many people who have experienced that betrayal, and seen their hearts crushed under someone else’s foot.
Or perhaps you’re the one who has been loved unconditionally, but you have not known how to love that person back. We are never taught to love, are we? And so you have abused that beautiful love that was given to you, and now you have lost it.
I have described here the reality for most people in this world, to some extent or another. The fundamental truth is that all models of human love are basically flawed.
But Calvary is God’s earth-shattering revelation of a new reality that he brings into the world. Listen to these words:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8, NIV).
The word “but” means that this is different to any other kind of love.
The word “demonstrates” means that God doesn’t just tell us about his love. He has demonstrated it. You don’t find it in the words of preacher or in their writings. No! The love of God has been demonstrated as a historical and relational reality, so that none can doubt it, and all can experience it.
The phrase “his own love” means that this love is as elevated from all human forms of love as the furthest stars are from the earth.
And it is demonstrated in this: that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
God didn’t wait until we changed our lives, improved our characters or reformed ourselves. While we were still sinners, he died for us. The shepherd went out to look for his lost sheep, the father of the prodigal ran down the road to welcome us home.
I had a message from someone yesterday who asked me, “How can God love me if I cannot even accept myself.”
Here is the difference between the love of God and every kind of human love: We love the lovely, but God loves the unlovable; we love the worthy, but God loves the worthless. It’s the very heart of the Gospel.
We spend our lives running around frantically, trying to make ourselves worthy and lovely enough to be loved, when Jesus already did it at Calvary.
Do you think you can improve on the blood of Jesus?
All you can do is accept the Father’s love, and let it wash over you, into you, and overflow into every one of our relationships. That’s true love. – Eliezer Gonzalez
Gorethe
Nov 14, 2019
I thank God for his love for us, the love of God is so wonderful so high you can't go over it, so deep you can't go under it. May God bless your ministry and bless you abundantly