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The Source of Love
1 John 4:8, John 3:16
So how do I love this little one? Earlier this year, there was a child who came into my life and I had the opportunity to show love to this little one, and I found myself asking myself, where do I draw from to really love this child? I don’t have any history with this child. I don’t have a biological connection to this child. And sometimes loving this child is going to be challenging. So where do I draw from? And asking that question made me realize that many times when it comes to the people in my life, I draw from good experiences. You know, or natural connection I have, you know, my biological daughter, you know she is my daughter, right? She came from my wife and me and, and I have many wonderful moments with her, my wife, obviously, it gives me many reasons to love her. But what about someone that you don’t have any of that connection or that history with? And I really realized that my source needed to be God, that he is love and that he is the source of love.
The scriptures say it right? God is love. (1 John 4:8) And I realize, first of all, that our God, that our God loves us, that he loves me, and then also that this little one I was looking at is a little one that was created by God. Loved by God, who Jesus died for, and rose again and paid for all of his sins. So that this little one could be right with him too, and made me realize where the source for real love is. It’s not experiences we have with someone, it’s not a prior connection. The real source for love is God, and it also made me realize all the more what grace is. We talk about grace as being God’s undeserved love, right? It’s not based on anything someone does on someone deserving it. It’s completely a free gift.
And that’s what our God gives to us when he loves us. He doesn’t love you because you’ve been good enough. He doesn’t love you because there’s some sort of special thing that earns it for him. It’s not even that Jesus, like, makes God the Father love you. I mean, John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. It started with love, and that’s why he sent Jesus. That’s why Jesus came. God loves because he loves.
So today, if you are struggling to feel loved or if you are struggling with your guilt, know this that God loves you simply because he loves you. Jesus came and died for you simply because he loves you. He rose again to set you right with him. What’s his basis for love? Him. That’s who he is. That’s what he does. And that’s how you can know today that you are loved.
