Loved forever?

In human terms, when someone says, “I will love you forever” we know that cannot happen. Life ends. The expression of love dies with it, and we grieve.

This is not true regarding the love of God. Because He is eternal, so also is His love:

“God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4–7)

I realized God loves me when He revealed His greatest expression of it: Jesus dying on the Cross for my sin. In love, He brought me to the saving knowledge of Christ where I became His child, forgiven forever. However, this verse says that His love goes beyond this life. In the coming ages, He will continue to show the “immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness” toward me in His Son. His love will be expressed eternally, not just in this life, but forever.

While that sinks in and while I think I can grasp the reality of it, He tells me how I must respond to such love. Last week and next, our pastor speaks about how to love God. What does it look like? He outlined the several Greek words for love and explained the difference between them. One is the love between friends. Another is the love in a family, or the love of a man and woman. The love of God is illustrated by these in some ways, but it is not the same.

Agape love wants and seeks the eternal well-being of others, often involving personal sacrifice. God loves me like that. He also uses trials and difficulties to help me become more like Jesus, for that is important to my eternal well-being.

I understand that kind of love. The challenge is, how do I love God in that way? He does not need me to do anything for His eternal well-being. He is perfect without anything I or anyone else can do for Him.

Yet two things come to mind. One is that I glorify Him in what I do and say. This is not to build His ego. He does not need that. However, when God is glorified, people are drawn to Him and could very likely experience His love. Also, God is blessed when I bless Him. My love for Him is shown by thanksgiving, praise, contentment, joy, and all expressions of His love in my life.

This includes the second thing; I love God when I love His people. He lives in them, and His life is revealed or brought forward when His love is shared between us:

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:7–12)

Last week, a Christian friend brought supper to us. That is agape love. She gave up her time and energy to demonstrate awareness of our need and awareness of God whispering to her to do this. People are telling me that they pray for us. Prayer is often hard work, particularly intercessory prayer. We can easily ask God for our own needs, but bringing the needs of others to Him day after day is a sacrifice. This is the love of God in action.

God’s love shows up in manifold ways; and our love for God and for others cannot be defined in a few words. It just needs to happen and I just need to listen because the Holy Spirit will guide me in what, where, how, who and when to do it. He might not tell me why, but if I am truly loving God, I should not need a reason.

^^^^^^

Jesus, today would be a good day to be on the receiving end, yet sometimes when I feel needy, You bless me more if I give. Besides, Your love is not about me, but about bringing glory to You and blessing to Your people. May I be alert to Your guidance and obedient as You give it.