Daily Journal: 14 September

The Essential Study

of God’s Love

2 Thessalonians 3:5 (NIV)

May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

First, I need to ask, what is God’s love?

There are numerous ways to study what God’s love is. In fact, we need to embrace the study of God’s love from every angle possible. It will never be exhaustive and it’s a study that we need to continue throughout life because there is no end to understanding it.

I’m taking seven attributes of God’s love that Arthur W. Pink wrote about, simply because they’re reasonably self-explanatory and we can broadly grasp the character of God’s love.

The love of God is:

1.      Uninfluenced (we can’t earn His love: Ephesians 2:8-9; He chooses to love us: John 3:16)

2.      Eternal (no beginning and no end: Psalm 90:2)

3.      Sovereign (…“I am the Lord and there is no other”…: Isaiah 45:6-7)

4.      Infinite (nothing can separate us from His love: Romans 8:38-39)

5.      Immutable (God never changes; is unable to change: Malachi 3:6)

6.      Holy (while we were still sinners, Christ died for us: Romans 5:8)

7.      Gracious (compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness: Psalm 86:15)

2 Thessalonians 3:5 (NIV)

May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.

What is Christ’s perseverance?

Romans 5:8 (NIV)

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Why should being directed into God’s love lead me further into Christ’s perseverance?

In realising God’s love I am led to Christ. In being led to Christ, I understand the meaning of life itself and the importance of being united with Him.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Christ’s perseverance teaches me to fix my eyes on the things above and not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2), which don’t even last (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (NLT)

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Our souls do not perish, so the most expensive, precious things are not anything the world can offer us, but our souls that last forever and will, one day, be with or without Him. That is our choice.

To receive God’s amazing love, freely offered, freely given so that we can freely receive, signifies a life that will go on forever without fault or pain or suffering. If we have to suffer for a little while here on this earth, it’s better than suffering forever after this life ends.

Look again at what God’s love is. Let it comfort you and cause you to wonder, and decide whether that isn’t everything you need forever. Life here and now is worth the essential study of God’s love. When we understand it, we know that is all we’re really ever looking for.