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
Read in PDF
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 is also “Storgē”.
It is the kind of love between family members; parents and children…the fondness people share for relatives is “Storge.”
We humans also 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”…the unconditional love of choice.
Multitudes of hurting people are looking for this kind of love and acceptance but can not 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 Heavenly
Father’s Love. The emptiness inside can only, effectively, be filled by
the Love of God and an intimate 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… He has made
up His mind that in spite 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,
Jesus Messiah 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. 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. In Jeremiah 31:3 the Father speaks through His prophet and says “ yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore
with loving-kindness I have drawn you.” God,
the Father’s Love, draws us. What does it mean to draw?... to make move toward one; to pull; to attract; to breathe in…
His Love is magnetic (powerfully attractive)…and that is 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 do not understand that
it is God and God Alone who can fulfill that desire. It is His love 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!); READ Acts 2:37-41
4. The Father’s Love chastises and corrects us- Hebrews 12:5-6;
When our children misbehave or are disobedient, as earthly parents who genuinely love them,
we must and will chastise them. Well, it is 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 Messiah.
5. The Love of the Father makes us Secure:
(Secure: safe and sound, confident, fixed, 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 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 and 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 and 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 and 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 is because we haven’t come
to the full realization of the Father’s Love for us…that He loves us, knows us as individuals, 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 and 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)
Embrace this Agape Love...the Father's Love. I
guarantee, you will never be the same.
