God's Love

What does the Bible say about man's relationship with God?

Our Lord tells us: …thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment… Has God got first place in our lives? Without God’s love, all of our religious works and efforts are only a “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal”.

Let's love God with our HEART. Our love relationship with God is a decision of the heart. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Yet we can know a deep love relationship with God. God's Spirit creates a new heart within us.

Our heart can be the dwelling place of God – Romans 5:5 …the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost… Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. Does God dwell in your heart? Does your love for God come from your whole heart?

Let's love God with our SOUL. The soul is our whole personality - our energy, emotion, and willpower. We have been designed with a soul, as a creature that is only fulfilled by having the Lord God in the centre of our lives.

Let's love God with our MIND. Our mind can be evil, vain, corrupt, defiled – even blinded. Is our mind surrendered to His ways? Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

May God protect our minds from unholy influences. Let’s use our mind for God, and develop our minds in right thinking.

Let's love God with our STRENGTH. This talks of our human energy, effort, and might. It can mean to give Him our resources — time, energy, our gifts, and abilities. God’s love translates into our everyday life.

We can love God so, that He counts us His friend. Exodus 33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
We can develop a relationship with God. Friendship with God. It is faithful love. He loves us when we don’t deserve it.

Proverbs 18:24 tells us …there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. He’ll stick with you. By faith we can be His friend. He can be our friend.

Abraham knew such a friendship with God: James 2:23 …Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Our Lord is called a friend of sinners. He is a friend of those who are undeserving, who simply trust Him.

His love is the greatest love. John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Our Lord is the greatest friend. He laid down His life for us. God’s love is Calvary love.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

God’s love should mark how we live. God wants that for His church. Revelation 3 tells of the church at Philadelphia. God honoured this church. They had remained faithful and had held fast God’s Word. God's true believers of the last days will be such a church. “Philadelphia” means brotherly love.

Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.

We belong to God’s family – as brothers and sisters together. We are God’s family because of the Love of God.

Hebrews 13:1 tells us, “let Brotherly love continue”. Keep on loving.

Our Lord Jesus said, "Love as I have loved you."

There’s a lack of love nowadays. These are the last days. Loveless days. Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Let’s aim to demonstrate the love of Christ in our relationships with others.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Put God’s love into action in your life.

We can not only know the love of God, and know God as our true friend, but we can see His love flow in our life to others.