He First Loved Us
1 John 4:7-10; 18-19 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19We love because he first loved us.
If we are going to fall in love with Jesus, we have to know the depth of His love for us. Understanding the great love of God for you is the foundation for your faith. If you don’t have a proper understanding of how much He loves you, then you will love God according to what you have done or haven’t done for Him and what He does or doesn’t do for you. Many people believe they have worn God out with their failures, so they can’t pray with confidence that He is listening and wants to answer their prayers. They live their Christian life trying to gain the approval of God. Others pray with a great deal of pride, thinking they deserve something from God for the things they have done right. I have tried both and, neither approach will help you live with confidence in God’s love for you.
In Jeremiah 1:5 God tells Jeremiah “Before you were born I knew (Hebrew yada – I’ve seen you; I’m familiar with you) you before you were born I sanctified you and ordained you a prophet to the nations” God was saying “I know you, I’m familiar with you” What makes the love of God so amazing is this… He is the only one who knows everything about you, how you begin, how you end, and He still loves and wants to use you.
God speaks to Jeremiah, a child, and says speak to nations. God says to the woman caught in adultery where are your accusers. God says to a Gideon, a man full of fear, you are a mighty man of God. God likes to take people who shouldn’t speak, who shouldn’t be forgiven, who shouldn’t be strong and give them a voice, forgiveness, and strength. God wants to take every negative word spoken about you by the people in your life, things they intended for evil and turn it for your good. You are loved…
jason is discussing. 
jason 8:56 am on January 24, 2009 Permalink |
Rob,
I absolutely agree with your post. I too have tried that futile road of pleasing God by approval rather than receiving his Love first and foremost. The power of the Love of God is rather underestimated these days and has not quite shaken the hearts of those who say they follow Christ. So many people merely mentally assent to following Christ but if God has first loved us and we have received that love, we will find that like Jesus said in John 13, they will know you are my followers by your love. I love that. Not by their accolades, not by their productivity in the kingdom, not even for their progeny or their budding ministry. Merely by his love.
This post took me back to when I first God saved. I had come to end of the proverbial rope of man pleasing and attempting to prove myself to God (and the world). I was tired and overwhelmed. I recall I wasn’t sure what to “live” for anymore and I just happened to turn on the radio. It was on a Christian station (which at that time, I did not listen to) and a song came on. It resonates in my heart continually. The lyrics to the song are “Love, I need love, you are love, I need you.” Your post brought that all back. Thank you for restoring the joy of my salvation.