The Love of God

The Loved

We did a little analogy last week, and came to realize just how much God loves us, and there are many other instances in scripture, where the same unfathomable love is considered in its glory (see Romans 5:8, Romans 8:35-39, 1John 4:9-10, Psalm 36:5-7, Isaiah 54:10 etc).

But it doesn't all just end in how much God loves and cares for us. It transcends the love of God for us and indulges our own love for Him. The mere fact that God has the ability to love, naturally means that He has emotions. He feels too. Hence His expectation of a reciprocal relationship between us and Him. Hence His expectation that we love Him like He loves us. I mean, He did create us in His own likeness, didn't He?

To Love Like God?

Love is not shown by words of mouth only, but I'm pretty sure you're reading or hearing this line for the umpteenth time. Nevertheless, the saying is true, and probably one of the truest things you will ever hear.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 

Genesis 1:27

 

It is taken for granted that we have an intrinsic ability, first to love, then to love like God. Why? We were created in His likeness. Simply put, we were created to BE LIKE HIM. This would mean that to be human is to love, and considering this, being in a relationship with God and establishing intimacy with God should be a natural occurrence and longing of our hearts, seeing that the ability to love and be loved is part of the congenital configuration of man from birth.

 What Then is It to Love God?

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

1John 5:3

According to scriptures, to love God is to keep His commandments. 

Before we consider the thoughts in your heart, let’s carry out a little exercise, shall we?

Think of a person whom you love very much. Think of the extent to which you would go to make them happy, or see them smile. Now, close your eyes and meditate a little on how their own happiness would make you feel, then go ahead and bask in the pleasures of your imaginations of their lit up faces, and their inability to contain their joy, knowing that you will always be there for them, no matter the cost.

This is exactly the case with God.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

1John 5:3

The commandments of God are not burdensome. They do not make one regret ever coming to know or love Him. They are not selfish, and quite frankly, they are ALWAYS for our good. Therefore, we can say that if we want to be happy in our own relationship with God, we would, with every fibre of our being, strive to please Him.

If The Ability To Love Is Intrinsic, Why, Then, Do We Struggle To Love God

One cannot really, actually love another on their own and without God. It is impossible to talk about love without the God-factor.

8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love

16. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him

1 John 4:8, 16

A week ago, we understood, using the transitive property of equality, that God is love, and this can also be written as God = Love. If we are to look at it from a scientific point of view, then presenting the equation as God = Love would mean an automatic allowance to use the words “God” and "Love" interchangeably. Take for example, if we had an equation X + Y = 7, where X = 4 and Y = 3, it would mean that in order to make sense out of this situation of equating the sum of two letters to a number (7), then we would have to substitute each letter (X and Y) to its corresponding number, as given (4 and 3) respectively, thereby representing the equation as 4 + 3 = 7.

Therefore, if God = Love, that would mean that whenever we say "I love you” to a person, and actually mean it, then we bring God into the picture.

If we are to love like God, then there’s no better way than to let Love Himself do the loving through us. This, my friend, is how to love God. It is for this reason, that God, despite knowing that we cannot love as much as He commands on our own, would command us to love Him, families, friends, and even our enemies nonetheless, because He expects us to open up our hearts to Him to do all the loving through us, just like He loved us through His Son Jesus even while we were alienated from Him and buried in sin.

Would you look at that?