Love is a well-known concept for people all over the world. We understand love because of the family, friends, and significant others in our lives. What if I told you that there was a different kind of love that is far greater than what we could ever imagine? The love of God is a gift that all believers will receive when they give their lives over to Jesus. God’s love cannot be compared to the love we experience on Earth. The bible is full of wisdom and explanation about the power of God’s love. So what makes God’s love so extraordinary?
The love of God is…
Unconditional:
Unconditional refers to something that is complete, unquestionable, and unlimited. God’s love is constant and never-ending. The Lord pours out his love to us regardless of the mistakes we make and sins we commit.
“Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies” (Psalms 36:5).
“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3).
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:17-18).
Comforting:
It is so reassuring to know that God loves us regardless of our imperfections. His love is a blanket that overpowers our flaws. Because the Lord loves us so much, we can feel content. No matter what, we can have faith that every situation is purposeful since Christ loves us and wants what is best for us. We know how strong God’s love for us is because he is slow to get angry, constantly providing forgiveness, and tells us to cast our burdens on him.
“May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant” (Psalms 119:76).
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8:35).
Dwells in Us:
For those who believe that God sent his son to die on the cross for us, and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, will have the gift of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of them. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God that lives inside of believers. Because Christ lives in us, he allows his love to flow in and out of us to others.
“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them” (1 John 4:15-16).
“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
The Greatest Form of Love:
Agape love refers to the greatest love that there is. This is not the love that we experience between each other; it is a self-sacrificing love. We know that Christ’s love is agape love because he was willing to give up his own life to save the lives of those who believe in him. Even though we are full of sin and wickedness, Jesus’s love for his children is so strong that he sacrificed himself so that we could be made clean in the eyes of God. The love of God is only accessible through the gift of the Holy Spirit and we cannot experience his love unless his Spirit lives in us.
“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2).
“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8).
All We Need:
When it comes down to it, we would not have the promise of Eternity if it weren’t for God’s love. God would not have sacrificed his life for us to be born again if he didn’t love us with all his heart. We need God’s love to help us get through life’s most difficult times. It provides us hope to know that whatever happens, God loves us completely. Love, as we know it on earth, is so limited, but God’s love leads to patience, kindness, protection, and trust.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Colossians 3:14).
“Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love” (Psalms 109:26).
“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” ( 1 Corinthians 13:4-8).