(Read 1 John 4)
The minute you see the face of your child, whether from the womb, adoption, or other means, you’re in love. But they don’t know it yet. My wife and I are blessed with two incredible children and two adorable grandchildren. No matter what our kids got into or mouthed back to us, we still loved them the same. Maybe more so because we sometimes would see their mistakes before they would. I often think that might be a little like how God views things.
After too many hours in the sun today and a very long hike, our fatigue was showing. My daughter snapped at me while driving to dinner, and I inadvertently snapped back. It was a trivial thing, and we both apologized later. Unlike God, I didn’t have the patience and wisdom to handle the situation as I should have, but like a loving father, I also realized its insignificance in our relationship and reached out to her.
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
Genesis 2:7; 18; 22
This part of the second chapter of Genesis teaches us about the nature of God’s love for His children. It is a passage full of hope and promise. We are all created in the image of God, giving us a special relationship with Him. From the beginning, God intended an intimate relationship between himself and His human creation. Before creating Eve, God presented all the animals to Adam, who named them, but none of them would be a fitting companion.
I’ve always been struck by God’s love and compassion, as exhibited in Genesis. God created something(one) in His own image to have a love relationship with. God loved us so much He didn’t stop creating until He found a “suitable helper” for Adam. We assume that Adam and Eve loved Him in return, but they had a funny way of showing it, and things would get much worse in our relationship over time. God didn’t stop loving us there. He loved us so much that He would send His only Son to Earth to die as a suitable sacrifice for our sins.
Submitting your child to die to save someone else, especially someone else who has wronged you time and time again, is an act of unimaginable love. If we’re following Matthew 22:37-38, we “Love God with all our heart, all our mind, and all our soul,” but we’re only doing this as a response, not as our original idea. Jesus had to tell us to do this after thousands of years of failing to show our love to God correctly and failing to follow the law given to Moses.
“‘The mountains may shift, and the hills may be shaken, but my faithful love won’t shift from you, and my covenant of peace won’t be shaken,’ says the Lord, the one who pities you.”
Isaiah 54:10
We’re spending several days this week in the mountains and canyons in southern Utah. What I love most about this area of the country is the obvious canvas of God’s creation everywhere you turn. From the red clay Hoodoos to the striped limestone and sandstone mountains, to the water-carved arches, to the cloudless bluebird skies. It’s pretty difficult to experience this immense beauty exclusive of God.
God’s love is everlasting and unchanging, even when the world around us is shaking. The verse begins with a vivid image of mountains being removed and hills being shaken, which is a metaphor for the instability and uncertainty of life in this world. A world that is constantly changing, with an unsure future, can be a source of great anxiety and fear.
But the verse goes on to say that God’s love is not like the mountains and hills. It is not subject to change or decay. God’s love is everlasting and unchanging. He loves us unconditionally, no matter what we have done or what the future holds.
If you have children or you have younger relatives, and you’ve been around long enough, you’re going to see predictable mistakes, even things that could separate them from you. What you won’t see is any of those things driving a wedge between your love for them. We’re sinning humans, and If we can’t stop loving our children or family for their errors, imagine how much greater God’s love is for us when He knew our mistakes before we were born!
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.
1 John 4:16-18
The apostle John is writing about how the nature of God’s love is made complete in us. This passage is not just a definition of God; God is love, and everything he does is motivated by love. The verses are a powerful statement about the unity that exists between God and his people. Likewise, when we live in love, we are participating in God’s own life and nature, and we are in communion with God.
Only one who walked the earth was a perfect embodiment of God’s love, and when we follow His example, we become more and more like him. Perfect love drives out fear. When we truly experience God’s love, we are no longer afraid of anything. We can face any challenge with courage and confidence.
By worldly standards, John’s statement about living in God, believing in Him, falls on deaf ears. Many find it hard to believe that a loving God would only save those who believe in Him. When you dig deeper, you see the real love in our righteous God. Bringing justice to the wicked is love. While this is one area of God’s love, it’s important to remember that He is loving in all that He does.
We love because he first loved us.
1 John 4:19
This statement is a steadfast, undeniable Christian truth. Yes, we come to Him. We can choose to accept Him, to turn to Him, to confirm as our Savior, to invite Him into our lives… but FIRST, He loved us. Verse 19 in 1 John is not as much of a statement about pre-destination or God’s sovereignty (which are both true) but a statement about love — the very essence of God.
We never obeyed our parents solely to win their love. It might have been part of the equation for some, but it would never have a speck of influence on their love for us. All of our love should be a reflection of the perfect gift, of a perfect person, not a payment for a debt we can never repay.
I have had the pleasure of being present for the birth of both our children. The overwhelming feelings of love and adoration towards them the second I laid my eyes on them is almost indescribable. When did they love us? I don’t know, but I do know who’s love came first.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
John 15:16
Key Applications:
- (Read 1 John 4)
- Love and thank God first
- Are you grateful for all you have? Are you as forgiving as you can be? Are you selfless with time, talent, and treasures? Pray and consider these questions each day this month.
Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.