Where Does Love Come From?Sample

God is the author and sustainer of all love. He exists outside the boundaries of time within a community of love - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Again and again, throughout Scripture, we see His steadfast love on display. Psalm 86:5 tells us that God is "good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call" on His name. Psalm 136:1 echoes a similar message: we are to "give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." When we fall short of God's perfect plan for our lives through sin and disobedience, we can take comfort in the words of the prophet Joel: "Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing" (Joel 2:13). Regardless of whether you are close to God or have drifted in your current season of life, run to the Father. Run into His loving arms, trusting that His love for you is steadfast. Our love for God and each other is often flawed and broken. We are sinners in need of a Savior. But in our weakness, "God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Christ's life, death, and resurrection are the fulfillment of God's love for His creation. We do not have to clean ourselves up before coming to God! His invitation is to come as you are. At just the right time, God sent Jesus into the world to live a sinless life to give up His life as a sacrifice for all of humankind, dying on a cross and being raised to life on the third day by the power of the Holy Spirit, that "everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) This is God's great invitation: His invitation to believe in the saving work of Christ on the Cross. Surrendering our lives into His loving hands. Resting in His presence that we might become people characterized by love. Devoting all that we are to reflecting our Master's ways and character to the world around us. As you reflect on the fullness of God's invitation, is there an area of your life where God is asking you to surrender to His will fully? An aspect of who you are that has not yet been formed into the image of Christ?