All About Him

All about Him

Read: John 16:25-28

“The Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”

John 16:27

“God loves us not because of who we are, but because of who He is.”

—Anonymous

IN WORD One of the keys to our understanding the love of God—whether it’s agape or phileo—is that it’s all about Him. We have a hard time accepting His love because we know that we’re often unlovable. And we have a hard time loving Him, because we’re often unloving. It’s not our nature to love unconditionally, or to accept unconditional love. It’s not even in our nature to love and be loved conditionally with any real consistency. Whenever we think that love is about us, we are easily confused.

Love is about God. He doesn’t love us because we’re lovable—too often, we aren’t. He loves us because He is love. It’s His nature. On the other hand, we don’t love Him because we’re loving—too often, we aren’t. We love Him because He is lovable. That’s also His nature. There’s nothing unlovable about Him. Whether God is on the giving or receiving end of love, the source of that love is Him. It’s His nature to give it, and it’s His nature to receive it. We actually have the easy end of the deal.

IN DEED Is the love of God lost on you? Are you one of the many who find it hard to believe God’s love for you is unconditional? Do you find it hard to love Him back? The burden of love is not on your shoulders, either in giving it or receiving it. It’s all about Him.

When you find it difficult to accept God’s amazing, unconditional love, meditate on His loving nature, not on whether you are worthy of it. Consider how Someone who defines Himself as “love” could think of you in any other way—regardless of what you’ve done. And when you find it difficult to love God with the type of worship and adoration He expects, meditate on His worthiness, not on your ability to love in return. Love isn’t mustered up, it’s completely absorbed in its object. Let Him occupy your thoughts, and love will flourish. Where He’s involved, it always does.