Getting to Know God’s Love
Photo by Mykola Khomenko
Do you feel loved today?
When you think about God, are you aware—at least a little bit—that you are loved? That He treasures you? That your heart is a delight to His heart? That He finds you incredibly interesting?
Unfortunately, many Christians, even those who have grown up going to church, don’t have a good view of God’s love. For one reason or another, they have come to believe certain things that are not true.
Many Christians aren’t aware of His love and think He is angry or punishing. “If I don’t do everything perfectly, God will be mad at me. If I make one mistake, I will get on His bad side!”
Or they think He is absent. “My life doesn’t matter to God. He has more important things to deal with than me.”
Some people mistakenly assume God is not interesting. “I know I’m supposed to be a good person, read my Bible, go to church, and pray—but I’m so bored! I can’t make myself do any of this stuff.”
Or they might assume God is legalistic and only cares about who is following the rules. “I have to be careful, or I will lose my spot with God. He loves only the ‘good people,’ and I am trying my best to be one of those good people.”
The human spirit cries out for God’s love. As we start to know Him—for real, not just what other people say He is like—our negative beliefs will change, and we will start to realize how good He actually is.
Here a few simple thoughts about the love of God and what it is like for YOU right now, exactly where you are in life. You don’t have to wait to find His love. It is pressing in all around you.
God’s love is truly knowable.
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. (1 John 4:16 NASB)
Do you “believe” the love God has for you? Why or why not?
Go to a quiet place with your Bible and journal, and ask Him to show His heart to you. Read 1 John 4:16 a few times, and let yourself really think about it. Write down anything God reveals to you.
Declarations:
God’s love is knowable and personal. I can come to know it for myself and not rely just on what other people tell me.
I believe the love God has for me.
God is love. That is His nature, and He will always respond to me with love.
God wants me to remain in His love—to live inside it every day. That is how He feels about me.
I get to touch and experience and feel God’s love for myself.
One way God’s love can affect your dating life: If you let God do an inward work in you, you will encounter His love at a new level. You will realize that what seemed too beautiful to be true is actually true, and it is true for you, not just for others. Knowing how much God loves you opens the door for you to meet the right person. When you know you are loved, and your heart has fallen in love with God in return, you are much better equipped to succeed in your dating life. To experience a close relationship with your partner, you first need to experience the unconditional love of your heavenly Father.
God’s love is steady and unchanging.
Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. (Josh. 14:10–12 NLT)
Are you waiting for God to move on your behalf? Do you feel weak or anxious because something is taking so long? Are you wondering about God’s love because you feel like you’ve been forgotten?
Go to a quiet place with your Bible and journal, and ask the Lord how these two things are related: His strength and His love for you. Take your time reading Joshua 14:10–12, and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Write down anything He shows you.
Declarations:
God is my strength. I am strong because He loves me.
God’s love will endure in my life.
His love is restoring me. It is affecting my physical body.
God loves me more than my brain can actually understand.
Because of His love, He will keep all His promises to me.
I have seen His love, and I will see it again countless times.
One way God’s love can affect your dating life: When two people live in God’s love—knowing how much He loves them and loving Him in return—it is possible for other people to look at their relationship and see the love of God for themselves. “I didn’t realize how much God actually loves people. Does He love me this way too?” A boyfriend and girlfriend have the unique ability to demonstrate God’s love to others. They aren’t just dating, but they are inviting others into His love. They are changing the world around them.
How would you answer the following questions?
What is your view of God’s love? How would you describe it in your own words?
Do you trust His love?
Does it seem “real” to you?
How did this devotional affect your heart?
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Your heavenly Father loves you more than you realize! For more about His amazing, unending love, check out Becoming the One by Salomé Roat. Click here to learn more. The book is also available in Spanish.