9 Days of Gratitude and ThankfulnessSample

God Is Loving

God’s Love is one of the most basic yet complex attributes. First John 4:8 says, “But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

God loves the world so much that He sent His only Son to die as the Perfect Sacrifice to redeem Mankind (John 3:16). There is no greater Love than this (John 15:13).

God’s Word is full of God’s Love for us, from the Old Testament Laws for the Jewish people to the Commands of the New Testament for all who believe in Christ. We can be thankful to God for His Love and Protection because, as a loving father does, God has created boundaries for His children. These boundaries and guards are set up to keep His children safe from the desires of our flesh.

When God says not to do something, it is because it is the best thing for us. He is All-Knowing, and we find comfort in how God tells us to live because He’s guiding us for our own safety. It’s like a father telling his son not to play in the street. Even though his son can’t see the danger, the father knows it’s there. He loves his son; therefore, he protects and cares for him through boundaries. We are thankful for God doing the same thing for us, His children!

Some look at God and say He cannot be loving because terrible things happen on Earth. They ask why He would let all of this bad stuff happen if He was loving. And while these types of questions make understanding God’s Love complex, what we do know is that in Genesis 3, sin entered the world, and in response, God demonstrated His Love for us by redeeming Mankind through Jesus (John 3:16); Scripture acknowledges that sometimes it doesn’t make sense to us, but we can trust in God’s Goodness:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

-Proverbs 3:5-6

“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”

-1 John 4:16

Father, thank You for loving us more than we could ever imagine or even understand. Thank You for setting boundaries to keep us safe and aligned with Your Good and Perfect Will. Help us to love others the way You love us and show them what it means to be loved unconditionally. Thank You for demonstrating this Ultimate Love by sending Your Son on our behalf! Help our lives to reflect the deep thankfulness You deserve for giving us such a Beautiful and Undeserved Gift of Your Love. You are so Good! Amen!

Journal Writing/Prayer Prompt:

Have you ever felt like God didn’t love you based on what felt like an unanswered prayer or situation? How did God show you that He does love you through this circumstance?

How do you maintain a heart of thankfulness while waiting on God? What Scriptures do you meditate on to help you through?

What boundary did God place in your life that was difficult to accept at the time, but that you now see as a blessing? What made your perspective shift?

How has the Spirit of God changed the way you view and treat certain people in your life? Journal about the experiences of your responses shifting from being distant to showing Christ-Like Love to others.