His Love
“My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God.”—1 John 4:7 MSG
One of the misunderstood things about love is that when truth is spoken in love, love can get a bad rap. Truth is not always warm and fuzzy, but it can be love nonetheless. When we use ourselves as the standard to measure the meaning of love, its reputation suffers.
In our humanness we speak a fractured language of love, especially when we live by our personal definitions of it. Professing our love, we offer our mind and body, but we also lie, deceive, and reject. We lose respect to keep a relationship going based on potential, and we totally miss patterns that say all we needed to know.
When we look through the lens of what’s in it for us, keep score, make sure we get the last word, withhold affection based on the level of offense, and use the volume of our voice to appear the winner, that is not love. If anything, it’s a fear-based mindset that will ensure we get exactly what we fear most. You can’t plant fear and reap love.
If it’s true that a woman can be the reflection of her husband’s love and care, how much more will we radiate the beauty of life when we allow God (as husband) to love and care for us?
I want to reap a beautiful harvest of love year after year. So, my word for 2020 is just that, love. I’m currently enjoying Graham Cooke’s crafted prophecy about God’s vast, incredible love for His children. My struggle will be replacing my definitions and expectations with God’s perspective. My starting point will be setting aside time to meditate on and saturate myself in God’s love first.
I want to really invest in understanding the love God has for me. I want to give focused attention to the ways He’s been loving me and does love me. I don’t want to miss anything He’s doing. There have been times when He catches me totally off guard. I’m overwhelmed with His presence and warmth, and all I can do is cry from so much joy and affection.
Yes I do know He loves me, but in my gut I also know that I haven’t seen anything yet. I’m limited in so many ways, and I’m desperate for it to be more than head knowledge, more than believing the Bible is God-breathed. I want His love to be my home base, and I want that love to dictate everything I do.
Although I’m not where I used to be, I’m nowhere close to where I could be. I want to see people—I mean really see them—like God sees them, with value and a story and a heart that responds to kindness and love. I don’t simply mean people I must interact with, but I want to purposefully slow down and create opportunities to connect with people in general. This will be a challenge for me, because I tend to rush through things, but it will be worth the effort.
God’s love is all consuming, and it fills our hearts to overflowing. In that overflow, we can spill His beauty onto everything and everyone around us.
It’s so like God to go deeper and give more. When we realize how much God loves us, then we can trust Him. When we trust Him and live in His love, people can be people and we will not be shaken.
With my focus this year being love, know that if I tell you I love you, it’s not necessarily that I know you. It’s because the image of our Creator is reflected in the beauty of who you are. To me, you look just like your Daddy!
NOW LIVE LOVED and THRIVE!
Self-Reflection
These questions are in no way a substitute for healthcare professionals or any level of professional counseling. I’m an advocate for taking care of oneself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. These questions reflect my heart, NOT my profession.
This questionnaire is an opportunity to journal your thoughts and feelings. It can serve as a launching pad on which to evaluate your heart condition as you understand it. My hope is that you will take the truths you discover about yourself and hold them up to the Light to evaluate them against who God says you are.
- Do you feel you have a true biblical understanding of God’s love? Elaborate.
- Do you feel you have a true relationship understanding of God’s love?
- How would you describe the love that God has for you? Do you experience it or do you know it?
- Are you able to fully embrace, absorb and live your life through the lens of what Jesus has done for you?
- Do you feel worthy of God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice? Explain.
Talk to God about your answers. Give Him praise, ask Him questions and then listen for His gentle response.
Take Action
Use God’s word to take control over the traumas in your life. Whenever you feel terrorized by your thoughts take them captive by replacing them with the truth of God’s promises in His word.
Here is a scripture for you to print, cut and carry with you and/or post in places where you will see it often. Ground yourself in God’s truths not Satan’s attacks. Encourage your heart and mind every time you are reminded of His great love for YOU!
“My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God.”—1 John 4:7 MSG
When you read God’s word say to yourself: The reason the world has the ability to define love and/or hate is because God is the origin of love. He brought the standard of love into our existence and we can define things based on His standard. Our soul purpose is to know and enjoy God. In doing so His love teaches us to trust. It fills us with joy and He calls us His beloved. Then we’re equipped to love those around us with the same love He has shown to us.
