God's Love...The Father’s Love
Behold, what kind of Love the Father has
bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!!
I John 1A
The
Essence of God, Our Heavenly Father, is Love. His core…His person…His
Being… He cannot separate from it; He cannot give or be anything else…because
He… God, The Father, Our Father, is Love (I John 4:8).
What’s
so special and unique about God’s Love is it’s a Love
of Choice! It’s an “Agape”
Love. It’s unlike Mortal or Human Love…
We
may have “EROS”: a Greek word that our English word
“Erotic” derives from which is a “physical love”…It would be related to a love between “lovers”
and can also be a “lust” kind of love…and we all know that will fade away! There is a place for it between
married couples but even with that… in order for the couple to live up to “till death do us part” , to keep
the vows they’ve made before God and man, they must have much more than the “Eros” kind of Love.
There’s also “Storgē”. It’s the kind of Love or the love between Family; parents and children…the
fondness people share for relatives is “Storge.”
Humans
share “PHILIA,” an affectionate
love, as well. This is where “the city of brotherly love,” Philadelphia, got its name from.
All
of these forms of “love” have their place, but the greatest love, the ultimate, supreme, superlative love is “AGAPE” love…the unconditional love of choice.
Many,
many hurting people are looking for this kind of love and acceptance and can’t find it because we, as humans, tend to
seek it through other things, and/ or other hurting, wounded people, just like ourselves.
Wide-spread promiscuous, immoral behavior; doing and sacrificing anything to fit in with, what we believe to be, “elitists”
groups; gang involvement; and even excessive “church” involvement are all examples and evidence of Our Human need
of the Father’s Love. The emptiness inside can only, effectively, be filled by the Love of God and a relationship with
Him. I have found, and know for myself that none of these things, nor any other
person can fill it. God and His infinite love will never fail us. Because… God has made up His mind… that despite of our actions…When we’re at our very
best or our very worst; when we are absolutely unlovable…He will love us!! He
chooses to love me…The Creator of the Universe chooses to Love Me! WOW…
what AWESOME NEWS! This is what Jesus
came to tell us and show us. This is the Good News of the Kingdom!
Over
the years, as I desired to know this Beautiful God of Love, and the realization of His Sovereignty and Awesomeness consumed
me; His love for mankind blew my mind even more.
I
grew up vaguely understanding The Father’s Love, even though it was readily available to me. I was a “church” girl from birth, and I admit, it was not many years ago that I thought I had
to measure up…then God would truly love me. I actually thought I could turn God’s love for me off and on based on my actions. I did not understand this Agape Love…this Love of choice…this Love that I did not have
to work and prove myself for.
This
is the love written about in John 3:16…For God so
Loved (Agape‘d) the World that He gave His only begotten Son… God sees us; He knows everything
there is to know about us and still chooses to Love us. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This is Our Greatest
Example of God’s Love.
I Absolutely Love the Lord, but I did not come to this love on my own...no, no. I love Him because
He first loved me; and I want you to know that The Father’s Love is available and Profits us MUCH.
1.
The Father’s Love Draws us:
I
mentioned that I desired to “Know” God…but that would have been impossible if it weren’t for His love
for me. His love is so strong that it draws us… yes,
I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you. (Jeremiah 31:3)
God,
the Father’s Love, draws us. What does that mean to draw?: to make move toward one; to pull; to attract; to breathe in…His Love
is magnetic (powerfully attractive)…and that’s what our hearts and everything in us want…We desire this
kind of love because it exists… but many have, what I call, a misplaced expectancy or expectation. This is why most look for this kind of love from other things and people; and don’t
understand that it is God and God Alone who can fulfill that desire. It
is His love for us that completes us! His love is the “wooing” that
connects us with Him. God is a Spirit and our spirits connect through His love…we
feel and know Him by His Love for us…even when we don’t quite understand what’s pulling on us. His love makes us run to Him…His love makes us desire Him, His love makes us satisfied; and His Love
is the Premise for a Relationship with Him that ultimately leads us to repentance.
2. The Father’s Love seeks after us and Saves Us: for the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost Luke 19:10; READ Matt. 18: 1-12
3. The
Father’s Love Causes us to Repent- Rev 3:19 (Such a good Father, can’t hurt Him!); READ Acts 2:37-41
4. The Father’s Love Chastises & corrects us- Hebrews 12:5-6;
When
we love our children as earthly parents, and they act up, there is no way we won’t chastise them. Well, it’s the same with our Heavenly Father. He loves
us, so He will chasten us and correct us which, once again, will draw us closer to Him and shape and mold us into the persons
we were born to be through Jesus Christ.
5. The Love of the Father makes us Secure: (Secure:
safe, confident, fixed, safe and Sound, and sheltered)
I
can think of many in the Bible who knew, accepted and understood the Father’s Love.
Think of David. He was so confident and secure in the Father’s Love and Sovereignty that he
had NO doubt he would successfully defeat Goliath. (I Sam 17:4-49)
Think of Daniel.
He was so secure in the Father’s Love that he did not think twice about loving on Him and worshipping Him openly,
despite the threat on his life; and as a result walked out of that lion’s den untouched.
(Daniel 6)
Think of the Three Hebrew Boys, Shadrach,
Meshach, & Abed-Nego. They refused to bow down to and/or worship the golden image
that had been set up at King Nebuchadnezzar’s
command. They had to
have known and been secure & confident in the Father’s Love to trust Him and remain obedient in this situation;
knowing that they would be thrown into the fiery furnace. They were sure that God was able to deliver them.
But what I love so much about this one is, they were so “fixed” in The Father’s Love that whether
or not God chose to deliver them from the scorching, deadly flames of the furnace, they made it clear that they still would
not serve or worship any other god! (Daniel 3:1-25)
Think of the Elijah when he overthrew,
put to complete shame the prophets of Baal.
(I
Kings 18:17-46)
These are just a “few” examples. The list can go on and on.
The entire Bible is a Testament of the Father’s Love and is filled with men & women SECURE
in that Love.
6. The Father’s Love casts out Fear: I John 4:18… “There is no fear in Love; but Perfect Love Casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love”.
This
would be the exact opposite of being secure in the Father’s Love. Fear
causes us to doubt Him; fear can also cause us to be competitive, self-seeking, covetous, and envious. But it’s because we haven’t come to the full realization of the Father’s Love for us…that
He loves us, knows us, and has a perfect plan for our lives.
7. The
Father’s Love Satisfies us- Ps. 107:9 (For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul
with goodness); Ps. 103:4-5
8. The
Father’s Love causes a reciprocated Love & Reproduces!
READ Psalm 116: 1-2; AND I John 4:7-21
I propose that there is NO WAY one can have truly known and experienced The Father’s Love and not love
Him back and love others. “In this love, not that we loved God, but
that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (an atoning sacrifice) for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another.” (I John 4:10-11)
Accept this Agape Love...the Father's Love... and you'll never be the same.
