No Greater Love
The greatest gift humanity received was Jesus the Son of God. Many love stories captured hearts and movies that moved us, but not one can compare with God's most extraordinary love story of all time. God gave us His son Jesus to have a personal relationship with us. A statement Jesus made was, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Ultimately, it was God’s incredible love that moved Him to exchange our sin for His goodness through His Son.
My mother’s love
When I was a young boy, I remember my eardrum started to hurt. The sharp pain intensified more than I could bear it any longer. Luckily, my mom entered the living room, where I was lying down on the couch, and asked me what was wrong. After I explained to her the problem, she went to the kitchen to find ear drops. Unfortunately my ear didn’t feel any better, but it was worth the effort. Then my kind mom started another procedure. She covered my head with a warm cloth and started breathing warm air into the eardrum. It felt nice. She was caring for me at a young age because I could not help myself. How that woman loved me. Even though she did her best to mend the ear based on her knowledge, the pain remained. She was so sweet that she drove me to the hospital. At that point, the doctors prescribed me some medicine, and the next day the pain lef. How my mother loved me without complaining, murmuring, or criticizing me. She did it with kindness, and I felt it the entire time. May we compare a mother’s love to God’s love? There’s probably no greater force on the face of the earth than a mother’s love towards their child, and how much greater is God's love for us, His dear children?
No works can replace God’s love
God’s unconditional love for us is not based on the works we do. I can work all my life for Him and not know His love. On the opposite spectrum, I can do nothing deserving of His love, and I can discover that He loves me as much as His beloved Son. With that said, we cannot earn the Father’s love, we simply receive it.
How can we trust in God’s love?
God doesn’t only talk about loving us through His word, and He likewise demonstrates it. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). The Father sent His Son for our sins and raised Him back to life to confirm that He loves us. God gave His best for our worst. Jesus, who is the exact image of God, traded heaven instead of hell for a short period of time. He went through suffering to give us a blessing instead.
God is the definition of true love.
When a man promises a woman he will love her on their wedding day, he means it, but two months later, he may get angry at her for a fault she committed. Even if he apologized, which is the right thing to do, he still discontinued loving her when he became discouraged. God is different. When Jesus said that “God so loved the world,” He meant it. His love didn’t diminish for a second. Even when our behavior is towards idleness, misery, anger, or envy, He still chooses to love us. No sin you commit can make Christ love you less. Obviously, sin is terrible, but it does not affect how the Lord sees us.
What’s the reason we sin?
To answer that, I must quote 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” Any sin, including fear, is expressed because we didn’t replace it with love. Before creation, the devil sinned through pride. If He trusted the Lord on the throne, He would still be in heaven to this day. Satan must have thought, “If I can take God’s place the angels will bow down to me, and I will be in charge.” He deceived himself by saying that God wasn’t enough. How many of us thought that too before?
Lucifer, before he became Satan, was in the greatest position in heaven, but he believed there was a lack. He was dissatisfied with his blessings from God. That is why God cast him down, and he will be judged later. Dear reader, are you satisfied with what God has given you? Praise Him. Do you have everything for life, like food, clothing, and money? Or even greater, salvation, faith, and the Holy Spirit? Be grateful. Love God by admiring Him for all your gifts.
David the Shepherd
David in the Bible was just a shepherd tending his flock. He didn’t have any of those things that many desire today. He was not famous, and he didn’t have much money, no iPhone, pizza, Netflix, football. Compared to Lucifer when he was in heaven, David was a poor man. Do you recall what David said to the Lord in Psalms 23:1? “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” David lacked nothing. He was satisfied in God’s love, which was enough for him. After being anointed as king, David hid in the wilderness from his adversary Saul, who was seeking to kill him. Through the hiding, escapes, blazing sun, hunger, and thirst David sang, “Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you” (Psalms 63:3O). The young man found his refuge in the same God that Lucifer denied.
Tortured for Christ
I’ve recently read the book “Tortured for Christ” and the author Richard Wurmbrand writes that though he was physically beaten, scoffed at for his faith, imprisoned for 14 years, severely tortured, and separated from his family. He would repeatedly pray in prison, “Jesus, I love you.” His praise did not cease in that rotten prison. He loved God because the Lord saved Him, and Christ had done more for Him than any human could do.
God’s love is the most significant force in the world.
A man or a woman who believes in love will surely not desire anything else. They will be satisfied for time and eternity. Wars, imprisonment, famine, persecution, pleasure, riches, delicacies cannot hinder His love for you if you keep on trusting the Lord. His love for us endures forever, and like David, we will not lack, as long as His love abides in us. For what more can we ask?
Jesus our friend
Jesus laid down his life for us and called us friends. He was a friend of sinners and demonstrated the Father’s love by healing the sick and feeding the hungry with bread and fish. But He had opened an even more fabulous door for us when He gave spiritual water to the thirsty, and everlasting bread to the hungry, and filled our hearts with God's love.
Prayer to receive God’s love
If you’d like to accept this wonderful love that is freely given, I’d like to ask you to turn from discontentment, selfishness, unforgiveness, and pride and put your trust in Jesus the Son of God. Pray this prayer with me.
“Lord, I was dissatisfied and trusted in myself to provide for me. I lacked because I didn’t believe you would provide for me. I put my trust in Jesus who died for me and raised again from the dead. I turn from my sins to you. Fill me with your unconditional love. Fill my heart with peace that only You can give. And I receive the power of the Holy Spirit which will remind me of your love daily, amen.”
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