Most of the time, we celebrate Valentine’s Day by sending cards, flowers and other gifts to people we love. Our kids love coloring pictures for their grandparents and cousins with lots of heart stickers to go along with it! ;) And of course they enjoy preparing Valentines for their classmates!
Human love is expressed in different ways! So is the love of God!
What do we know about the love of God as revealed in the Bible?
On February 13 of this past year, my husband gave a sermon on God’s Definition of Love. I thought it would be fun to share some insights from that sermon, along with a few Bible verses about love that I looked up on my own :)
True Love {of God} According to the Bible
1. The love of God is timeless.
The prophet Jeremiah explains this in Jeremiah 31:3. “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'”
No matter what time in history we live, we know that God’s love is always present and lasts longer than any one person or generation.
2. The love of God can be known with certainty.
1 John 1:1-4 explains, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us–that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”
We don’t have to “feel” love in order to be loved by God. Of course it’s wonderful to have a feeling of being loved, but God’s love is still there, even if our emotions aren’t always aware of it!
3. The love of God is not hypocritical.
Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” James explains that God “does not change like shifting shadows,” and God’s people are told in Numbers 23:19, “God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind.”
Love comes and goes in our lives because we live in a fallen world. It is reassuring and a great comfort to know that God’s love is always the same–it does not say one thing and then do another. It is a love that is real and unchanging.
4. The love of God originates in what Christ did for you.
“I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.” (1 John 2:12) “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us.” (1 John 3:16) “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1)
This is where the greatest love is found, in Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross! This is where true love begins and ends! It is what all other types of love flow from.
5. The love of God is always seen in action.
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:17-18
God has given us direction in His Word for how we can show love to others, both through our words and through our actions.
It’s impossible for us as humans to express love exactly like God does, but I find it important for me to ask God often to show me how to love like Him because I fall short so many times!
Praying that you experience the love of God this Valentine’s day and every day: from Him, from others and toward others around you!
WANT TO SPEAK WITH GRACE TO YOUR KIDS INSTEAD OF YELLING?
