Category Archives: God’s Love

The God Who Knows Me and Still Loves Me

Posted on by

How much do others know about you? People tend to be guarded, to varying degrees, about what they share with others as we all have those areas in our lives that we don’t want others to know about. Although I find it interesting how much some people will publicize about themselves whether it is on social media or general conversation.

Have you ever stopped to think of how much God knows about you? Does the reality that He knows everything about you, even all of your shortcomings lead you to the conclusion that “He must NOT love me because of them?”

The challenge for each of us is that we often depend upon how we feel and in turn allow our feelings to determine our sense of reality. If we are not careful, we can allow our circumstances to define who God is and in turn shrink Him down to a size that is too small for our problems. What good is a small God?

Keep in mind that what you know and rely on to be true about the Lord will transform your life! The Precious Truth that we need to consider is that God knows EVERYTHING there is to know about each of us and yet He still loves us!

If others knew you to the degree that God knows you, how would your relationship with them change?  If you knew your best friend to the degree that God knows you would you continue in that friendship? Sometimes the more we get to know someone the more we wish we didn’t know them.

Consider David’s words here in Psalm 139:1-6. “O LORD, Thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, Thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”

To what extent did David realize that God knew him? The first thing that jumps out at me is that David was in awe of the fact that God even knew him. Consider what he says in Psalm 8. “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man, that Thou art mindful [think about] of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest [to pay special attention] him?” (Psalm 8:3-4) Picture David the shepherd lying on his back looking up at the night’s starlit sky speaking to God saying, “Lord, As I consider the great expanse of the universe that You made, how do You even know that I am here?” David was moved in worship that his infinite God took notice of his finite life. In the great expanse of God’s creation, the fact that He is intimately aware of each of our lives speaks of His greatness that is so far beyond my comprehension.

In Psalm 139, as I have pondered the reality that God knows everything there is to know about me, I am amazed to think that He still loves me.  How do I draw this conclusion? Well first consider what God knows about each of us.  David tells us in verses 1-4, “O LORD, Thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, Thou knowest it altogether.”

David acknowledges God’s full & complete knowledge of him. There is nothing hidden from God.  He knows all the secrets that only we know about ourselves.  He knows all our thoughts, desires, intentions, and motives. He knows the hypocrisy and lies that we may live with thinking we are fooling everyone into believing we are someone that we truly are not. In verse 2 we read, “You understand my thought afar off.” God even knows the thoughts that we have yet to think.  He knows more about us than even we know about ourselves. These are the actions of a God who loves us.

With all of this knowledge that God has about us, IS it a wonder to you that HE still loves you?  It is to me!  He knows all the times that I have failed Him and all the times that I will fail Him yet that does not deter His love for me.

The Precious Truth to consider here is that God’s love is not dependent upon who I am or what I do but upon WHO HE IS! God’s love does not change.

Next, consider what David concludes that God has done for him while possessing this knowledge. “Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me.” (Psalm 139:5) With this knowledge God has not run from us but has drawn near to us. He knows that we need Him—we need His grace and mercy; we need His love and compassion; we need His wisdom and protection; we need His presence—we need HIM. God knows our needs and in turn through His grace and mercy has made provision for those needs.

Consider what He has done for us. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus], that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) “But God commendeth [proved] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, ‘Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee’.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

God acted upon this knowledge and sent His only Son to make provision for our ultimate need—our need of salvation.  Through faith in His Son, Jesus, we can be united to God in a personal relationship. Through faith alone in Christ alone my heart was changed—my sins were forgiven—my guilt was removed and I came to understand the loving relationship that my heavenly Father has always desired for me to have with Him. Consider reading “How Do I Get to Heaven” for additional insight on how you can enjoy a personal relationship with God.

As David ponders this truth he erupts in such uncontainable joy and worship as he says, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” (Psalm 139:6) This knowledge was outside of his realm of comprehension.  It brought David to his knees in humility and awe as he worshipped his all-knowing Savior.

Get to know the God of the Bible. Read God’s Word and then take God at His Word. He means what He says and He says what He means! Our understanding of the knowledge of God should bring us to our knees in worship of Him.  It should humble us and in turn we too should be in awe of Him.

As you consider what God knows about you also realize that He continues to stay with you. When others choose to distance themselves the more they learn of you, consider how the Lord draws near, fully knowing who we are. David continues in the following verses saying, “Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10)

Our intimate knowledge of God will shape our response to the trials of life. In spite of all our shortcomings God promises, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed [or disheartened as you consider your circumstances]; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Is this “knowledge too wonderful for you?” Does it move you to worship your God as it fills your heart with joy? Let us seek to be intentional about remembering who our God is.  Jeremiah writes, “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.” (Lamentations 3:21) “This is what I intentionally remember about my God, therefore I have patient confidence.” The truths of God will stabilize you as you meditate upon them.

Silencing the “Sin Detector”

Posted on by

It’s the middle of the night and you are enjoying a restful night when a high-pitched, piercing sound suddenly breaks through the quiet, stillness and startles you awake. You realize that the smoke detector has been set off by the presence of smoke in your home. But instead of addressing the issue you pull your pillow over your head and try to return to the peaceful rest you had been enjoying just moments before.

Would you ever do this? The answer is obviously “NO!” The situation needs immediate attention.

Unfortunately when it comes to sin, we often are guilty of covering our head in hopes that the piercing noise of our conscience will quiet down and go away. Why do we do this?  Why do we insist on covering our heads and plugging our ears instead of addressing the problem? The problem is not our conscience but sin that has set of our conscience. What then is the remedy? How are we supposed to Biblically address our internal “sin detector?”

Many Christians live defeated lives simply because of failing to Biblically confess their sins and in turn live their lives filled with the noise of guilt—a guilty conscience.  How hard would it be to live in a home while the smoke detector is sounding constantly? How stressful would it be to try to carry on conversations and lead a normal life? How productive would a person be in this environment?

Often we try to quiet our conscience by engaging in something to try to distract us from thinking about our noisy soul—our guilty conscience.  Just as we would never go and remove the battery to silence the smoke detector in order to remedy the problem we must learn to stop trying to silence our conscience by any other means than God’s way—the Biblical way.

Consider with me Psalm 51 as we look to Biblically address our “sin detector.” The title of gives us some insight into the circumstances surrounding this psalm; “when Nathan the prophet came unto [David], after he had gone in to Bathsheba.” Nathan comes to King David and says, “Thou are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7)

Has your conscience ever called out to you in a piercing voice, “You are the man/ woman!”?

Here in Psalm 51 we see a “Precious Truth” regarding the confession of sin.  What does true confession look like? It begins with action—turning toward God and considering Who He is and what is He like. When we sin we turn away from God and separate ourselves from Him.

Isaiah tells us what our sin does to our fellowship with God. He says, “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities [sins] have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2)

In order to be in right fellowship once again we must turn back to Him in repentance. This is what we see taking place here in Psalm 51. David cries out to the Lord saying, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions [willful disobedience].” (Psalm 51:1)

Question to answer: “Who is God and what is He like?”

David turns back to God and pleads for mercy—this mercy that is based upon God’s unfailing love. David relies upon what he KNOWS to be true about his God. Keep in mind that God loves to forgive—He wants to forgive us from our sin. It is important to understand who God is, what He likes, and what He dislikes.

The prophet Micah puts it this way, “Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy.” (Micah 7:18)

Notice that God “pardons sin”—He forgives and He does not hold onto “His anger forever, because He delights in mercy.”

Knowing that God is a merciful and forgiving God leads to a peace that surpasses all understanding (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:8-9).

Next we see a request—cleansing is a work of God. David asks God, “Wash me from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” (Psalm 51:2)  He asks God to make him clean again as his sin has defiled him.

To be “throughly” cleansed is to be washed repeatedly with intensity. Think of a washboard. Biblically cleansing comes through confession. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

What does improper confession look and sound like? The most frequent is simply, “I’m sorry!” (for what?) or “I’m sorry that you were offended!” How about, “I’m sorry that you took it wrong!” Each of these take no responsibility for our sin and places the blame on the other person.

So what is proper, Biblical confession? We first have seen two actions—a turning to God and making request for cleansing. Consider with me six steps in the confession process. The first three deal with what we acknowledge while the last three reveals the heart of true confession.

#1 – Confession of sin is acknowledging our personal responsibility.

“For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” (Psalm 51:3)

David takes full responsibility as he “acknowledges his transgressions”—there is no blame-shifting. He says, “my sin is ever before me”—this is the reality of the memory of that sin. When properly dealt with, thus having the confidence of forgiveness, this memory will be a reminder to help to keep us from sin. But when we fail to deal with our sin Biblically it brings guilt, which is by design in order to bring us to repentance.

#2 – Confession of sin is acknowledging who I have offended. (v. 4a)

“Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned,…” (Psalm 51:4a)

All sin is an offence against God as it is a violation of His law.  When we sin we dishonor the Lord. David was not only sorry for the consequences of his sin. He was sorry for the sin itself as he was grieved over the fact that he offended God in breaking His law. We must always confess our sin to Him as well as others we have wronged.

#3 – Confession of sin is acknowledging the extent of my sin. (v. 4b)

“…and done this evil in Thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest. ” (Psalm 51:4b)

Literally the word “confess” speaks of saying the same thing. It is properly defining sin the way God defines it and NOT in the way we define it. We fail to confess when we justify or make excuses about our sin—why it was justifiable under those circumstances. Proper confession only comes when we see our sin as God sees it.

#4 – Confession of sin reveals a change of heart (v. 13)

“Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.” (Psalm 51:13)

That night on the roof top along with the days following, David was concerned only about himself (2 Samuel 11). He hurt so many people in the process. Now we see his heart has changed as he desires to be used in helping others.

One who has been restored to right fellowship with God can be useful once again in helping others be restored. This can be in the form of openness about our sin and its consequences while giving testimony of God’s mercy. A truly repentant heart will seek to help others. Consider Jesus’ words to Peter about his ministry that he would have after his denial of Christ.

Jesus says, “But I have prayed for thee [Peter], that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted [restored/ reconciled], strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:32)

The reality is that God desires to use broken and forgiven people. He sees value in those who have genuinely repented of their sin.

#5 – Confession of sin reveals a grateful heart (v. 15)

“O Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise.” (Psalm 51:15)

Where David’s lips had been sealed in shame he now asks the Lord to open them in praise. David’s desire is to worship the Lord and tell others about God’s greatness. He sees himself as an undeserving soul whom God spared. His grateful heart is seen in the praise he gives to God as he acknowledges Him for His unfailing love and tender mercy, rehearsing these powerful truths to anyone who would listen.

“And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” (Psalm 40:3)

#6 – Confession of sin reveals a humble heart (v. 17)

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise [treat as worthless].” (Psalm 51:17)

The “sacrifices” or worship of God that are acceptable to Him come from a “broken and a contrite heart.” This kind of heart is one that grieves being intensely broken over their own sin. It is seeing sin as God sees it and in turn being truly broken before God.

It is seeing the effects of our sin upon God as His heart is broken when He sees us choose to sin instead of obey Him. It is acknowledging that our sin was the reason that God’s Son chose to take up our cross in order to suffer and die in our place. Being “broken and contrite” is genuinely saying, “Woe is me!” as Isaiah did in Isaiah 6:5.

“Then said I, ‘Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.’”

Isaiah saw God in such a real way as to bring to light his own wretchedness in comparison.  Against the backdrop of a thrice holy God, Isaiah realized that even his most minute sin caused him to be unfit and undeserving to be able to stand in the Lord’s presence. Genuine confession reveals a humble heart that sees how unworthy I am to stand, as a sinner, in the presence of an infinitely holy & righteous God because of the perfect work of my Savior.

In all of these aspects of confession we see genuine repentance—we see the change of mind about our sin which leads to a change of life. True heart-felt confession shows change of behavior not just hollow words.

When we humbly read and receive this psalm and see God’s unfailing love, mercy, grace and His willingness and readiness to forgive the repentant soul, it will bring us to our knees in worship being in awe of the greatness of our God.

In conclusion, enjoy how the psalm ends, “Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar. ” (Psalm 51:19)

Be confident that God is pleased when we come to Him, His way! We can then can KNOW that the worship we offer will be worship that He accepts.

Quiet Peace in the Storms of Life

Posted on by

All too often you may find yourself in the noisy pits of life—maybe you are there right now. The stresses of life that seem overwhelming; the obstacles that seem insurmountable; the painful moments of heartache; the unknowns; the “what if” thoughts; the thoughts of “How am I going to make it through?!”; each of these can flood our minds with noise—they can be deafening, debilitating, and defeating.

So what do you do? How do you cope? How do you get through? HOW DO YOU QUIET YOUR NOISY SOUL? How do you find peace IN these noisy pits during these storms of life? IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE—CAN YOU HAVE QUIETNESS IN YOUR SOUL and actually be able to have peace even though the storms of life rage on?

The answer is YES! YES!! Yes a thousand times over!! You can and by God’s grace you will.

Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour [weary] and are heavy laden [beaten down], and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek [gentle] and lowly [humble] in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

The key to quietness in your soul is found in coming to Christ.

Over these past few weeks, God has given me the privilege of repeated opportunities to counsel those who are going through these storms of life while finding themselves stuck in a “noisy pit.” In each of these times, the Lord has brought me to Psalm 40 peeling back a new layer of truth, shedding further light upon its stabilizing truths.

In Psalm 40:1-3 David writes, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.”

 Consider his trial: David is obviously in a significant trial of life. It is a trial that causes him to “cry” out to the Lord in desperation. It is a trial that keeps on going and requires “patience” as he learns to “wait patiently” for the Lord.  It is a trial that has brought into his mind noise—thoughts of noisy unrest.  It is a trial that has brought instability—standing in the “miry clay.” It is a trial in which his song is an “old song” which is depressing and often filled with complaint possibly feeling undeserving of this difficulty.

The phrase “horrible pit” literally means a “pit of noise.” In these trials we often succumb to noise in our souls as we strain to cope with the trying circumstances. This noise refers to how we are thinking. Naturally we can be prone to think anxious thoughts during these times. We dig a rut that becomes deeper and deeper the more we think this way. This truly is an “horrible pit” that God wants to bring us out of.

Metaphorically, the “miry clay” calls attention to our unstable footing—being unsure of what is happening, how we will get through this, all while asking “Why me?!” This only adds to the anxiety—the noise—as we contemplate the unknowns and the “what ifs.”

Consider his confidence: While still in the storm of his life, we see David’s confidence come to the forefront. We see that his attitude is “patient” waiting, knowing that God has heard his prayer and his confidence that HE will do something about it.

“I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined [leaned in close to listen] unto me, and heard [listened intently to] my cry.” ( Psalm 40:1)

Knowing that God hears our prayer should bring great confidence as we consider who God is and what He does. Often we don’t even pray because we don’t see the benefit. But in times like these if we do pray, lacking this confidence, we can find ourselves in a hopeless prayer just going through the motions. Prayer is a vital lifeline especially in the storms of life.  Knowing that God hears our prayer as we pray according to His Word brings peace. Consider Paul’s words,

“Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer [worship] and supplication [attitude of need / humility] with thanksgiving [attitude of gratitude] let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Biblical prayer is praying with the right attitude. It is coming before the God of the universe in worship with a humble heart of dependence and thankfulness laying our “requests”—our burdens before Him. If we want God to listen we must NOT come to Him demanding but worshiping—humbly making “requests.”

Paul goes on to speak of the promised peace of God…

“And the peace of God, which [sur]passeth [transcends] all understanding, shall keep [guard] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

This “peace of God” transcends our understanding—it is the kind of peace someone has that seems impossible at that moment. This is the peace that God promises to us when we pray Biblically.

Consider his peace: David, still in this storm of life speaks of this peace and stability that God gives him.

“He [the LORD] brought me up also out of an horrible pit [a pit of noise], out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” (Psalm 40:2)

David is brought out of the “pit of noise” to having peace on the “rock.” He is lifted out of the “pit of noise” as has victory over his noisy thinking. The rut of thought he has dug begins to be filled in with the truth of God. The “rock” is truth—it is the Word of God, manifested in the man, Christ Jesus.  David has fixed His mind upon the Lord, INTENTIONALLY thinking upon what he knows to be true about HIM. He is INTENTIONALLY thinking upon the stabilizing truths of God and as a result the noise in his soul quiets into peaceful rest. Consider this promise from the prophet Isaiah,

“Thou [God] wilt keep him in perfect [constant] peace, whose mind is stayed [fixed] on Thee: because he trusteth [commits himself and is confident] in Thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)

God’s promise to the person who fixes their mind—diligently, intentionally thinks—upon Him will enjoy the “perfect peace” of God. Intentionally thinking on His unending love and almighty power, His grace and mercy, His forgiveness and compassion, and all the wonderful truths of God found in His Word brings us confidence.

Keep in mind that NEGATIVE, ANXIOUS thinking leads to NOISY, UNSTABLE living while GODLY thinking leads to PEACEFUL, STABLE living.

Consider his song: The old song of heartache and trouble of trial and tribulation is filled with sadness and complaint. This is figurative language of our words and conversations as we seek to cope with our struggles. David says,

“And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” (Psalm 40:3)

David speaks of a “new song”—a song that is characterized by “praise unto our God.” Moving from the pit to the rock—from the noisy mind to the quiet soul brings a “new song.” The reality is that when in the storms of life we intentionally think upon the Lord, worshiping the Him in humble, thankful prayer we can enjoy God’s transcendent peace. Naturally we will overflow with a new song of praise—praising God for His goodness to us.

Consider his testimony: “…many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” As David sings in his suffering he brings glory to God and grace to others. This song of praise flowing beautifully off David lips causes people to respond with awe and wonder. As a result of David’s peace, we see his praise to God—as a result of David’s praise we see others turn to the Lord, trusting in Him.

God desires to use the trials of life to get our attention and to turn our hearts to Him. He desires to use us for His purposes—for His glory. He truly wants what is BEST for us. God’s best for us is to know His peace and give Him praise—to know His peace in our storms and give testimony of His guidance and care.

So what do you do in the storms of life? How do you cope? How do you get through? HOW DO YOU QUIET YOUR NOISY SOUL? How do you find peace IN these “noisy pits” during these storms of life?

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED CHRIST? Have you thought about God’s purpose for you in this struggle that you face?  Do you know the peace of God that leads to the praise of God? Learn to INTENTIONALLY think upon the Lord and let Him quiet your noisy soul bringing you transcendent peace in the storms of life.

There Is No God?…REALLY?

Posted on by

Do you believe this? Please consider what the Bible says:

“The fool hath said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ …” (Psalm 53:1)

Please consider what the beauty of the earth around you says:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork.” (Psalm 19:1)

Would anyone consider a beautiful painting and say, “No one painted that!” or an architectural structure that you stop and admire and say, “No one built that!“? Then why would we look upon this amazing earth that we call home and say, “It happened by chance—there is no Creator!”? The vibrant colors of spring…the complexity of every living organism…the consistency of the cycle of day and night along with the season…the similarity of the orbital structure of the microscopic atom to the planetary activity in our universe—ALL proves and proclaims that God EXISTS! that HE created all of it.

The Bible says that someone who looks at this beautiful earth around him and concludes, “This happened by CHANCE—that there is no God” is foolish.

The sad reality is that when you don’t believe in God’s amazing work of creation, how will you ever believe in His amazing love that He displayed in His saving action? As a result you will never enter into a personal relation with the GOD who made you.

The Bible says, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:17)

“But God commendeth [proved] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

THERE IS A GOD…REALLY!!

He loves you enough to let you enjoy this amazing creation of His that you call “home” even though many are so ungrateful and don’t even give Him credit. He also loves you enough to send His only Son to die in your place, paying your debt of sin as well as mine.

“For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)

“For the wages of sin is DEATH; but the gift of God is eternal LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

There not only IS a God but this God wants to have a loving relationship with YOU!

“And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)

For more information about “KNOWING GOD” and having a personal relationship with Him consider reading this article: “How do I get to Heaven?“.

The Most Precious Truth

Posted on by

When you think of “Precious Truths” which is the greatest of them all?  For me the answer is simply God’s love.

Consider this…without the love of God, would He have sent His Son to pay our penalty of sin? Without the love of God could we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ? Without the love of God could we have hope of eternal life?

It is the love of God which sent Christ to the manger.  It is the love of God which sent Christ to the cross.  It is the love of God which gives the gift of eternal life.

“For God SO loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus], that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

It shows us that God loves us enough that He would send His beloved Son into this lost world in order to reconcile us to Himself through His Son’s death.

The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23). We are also told that our sin separates us from God as we earn the penalty of death (Romans 6:23).

“But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened [made us alive] us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

This is an amazing reality…this is amazing love! “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:…” (1 John 3:1)

I picture the apostle John writing these words and saying, “Wow! This is amazing! God loves me so much that He made a way possible for me to become His child!”  It still shook John to the very core, even at the end of his life, as he considered what his Savior did for him.

In the Gospel of John the apostle is only mentioned as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”  This title was what he wanted to be remembered by because of the precious truth that it displayed. What title do you and I want to be called? What do we want to be known for?

The Bible further explains how God’s love was displayed in Christ’s death.

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation [the atoning sacrifice] for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)

God “manifested” or displayed His love to us by sending His Son into this world to pay the penalty for our sin.  God poured out His just and divine wrath upon His beloved Son in the place of all of us sinners.

“But God [demonstrated] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8)

Christ said to us in His actions, “I love you this much” as He willingly spread out His arms upon the cross and died in our place.

One of the ways the Bible defines love is found in John 15:13 where it says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Christ Jesus laid down His life for us.  He sacrificed His own life so that we could have a relationship with the Father as our Father.  In John 17, Christ prays “for them also which shall be believe on Me” (v. 20).  His desire was for us to have the same relationship that He has with the Father.  He says, “That they [those who believe] all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us:…” (v. 21) He goes on to say in verse 23 that He desires that we would be loved by the Father just as He is loved by the Father.  This self-sacrificing love was expressed upon the cross—it was done so that we could live—truly live.

As I consider the extent of the love of God I realize that these words only begin to scratch the surface, if even that.  I pray that as you read these words that you would stop and meditate upon God’s love. What does it mean for you?

The apostle Paul’s prayer was “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which [transcends] knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19)

This prayer of Paul is for his audience to “know the love of Christ” which transcends human understanding. Knowing the “love of God” brings change. To be “filled” is to be controlled. Being “filled with the fullness of God” is to be controlled by God as He transforms us into the image of His Son. This speaks of becoming more like Jesus Christ. Knowing the “love of Christ” leads to the likeness of Christ. The more we rest in God’s love the more we are changed by it.

Do you know the love of God? Have you entered into this wonderful relationship with God by placing your faith and trust in Him alone for salvation?

The Bible clearly says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

I close with words from a favorite hymn of mine called, “The Love of God.”  Consider the third verse and chorus…

“Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade, to write the love of God above, would drain the ocean dry.  Nor could the scroll contain the whole, though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure the saints’ and angels’ song.”  – (hymn by Fred­er­ick Leh­man, lyr­ics are based on the Jew­ish poem Haddamut)