In the Name of Love

- Pastor Jason Briesacher

“The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” – 1 John 4:8 (NASB)

Have you ever felt like God did not love you? We look at the lives of others and wonder why we don’t have their blessing or why God moved on their behalf and not ours. We wonder what we’ve done to anger God and fall outside His love. Those are perfectly valid feelings, but they’re not accurate whatsoever.

Love is not something that God does; He is love. The only thing He hates is sin, the choices that drive you further from Him. In other words, He hates anything that keeps you away from Him. Why? Because He is love.

As humans, we express our love to one another. God does not have to do that because He is love. His very nature, His core being, His nucleus is love. But because He knows we receive love that way, God chose to express His love through Jesus Christ. He didn’t do this to prove His love but to help us understand His nature.

Because we misunderstand the nature of His love, we often remove love when we talk about His wrath, righteousness, or justice. But that would mean that every parent who disciplines a child hates their child. Any good parent will tell you their love causes them to correct their children.

In the midst of suffering, God’s nature doesn’t change. We may feel like He’s distant, but that’s only because we are lost and hurting. This is why God promises that He is close to the brokenhearted and is with those whose spirits are crushed. Not because He is suddenly closer but because He wants you to remember it in those moments.

Jesus told us that our love should be our defining character trait. Why? Because when we love, we behave more like the defining characteristic of God. We take on His essence.

The world experiences God’s love through us. When your love for God and love for others does not waver when life circumstances change and shift, the world will notice. They will want it because you’ve decided to love it regardless of the event or outcome. When we choose to allow love to be our defining characteristic, our nucleus, we will be more like our Father in Heaven who doesn’t choose to love; He is love.

Make a Difference:

Who is the most unlovable person in your life? Take a moment to pray for them. Pray for yourself. Ask God to help you love in every circumstance with every person. Thank God for His love and ask for His love to become your essence.

As You Read:

We are supposed to speak the truth in love. This week, we are beginning to read in Jeremiah. Some of the things he says to the nation of Israel are hard but necessary to hear. Ask God what He is trying to tell you through these passages.