Love in Pursuit

Life Lesson 25: When we show genuine love and kindness to others, we are expressing the very essence of divine love.

“The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

It is the greatest need of every living soul. We can’t fake it. Money can’t buy it. We can’t earn it, and we can’t truly know it until we know God.

Whether we realize it or not, we were created by love and for love. Because we are molded in the image of love, we have the ability to love and to give love (1 John 4:19) . Even so, many of us long to feel and to truly know the love of God. Scripture tells us that God is love. That means, His very nature is love. He is the embodiment of love. There is no greater love than the sacrificial love of God. In 1 John 4:9-10 we are told:

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus demonstrated His matchless love for us when He gave His life on the cross. While He was on earth, Jesus taught His disciples many important principles. One of which is what it really means to love another human being. He said to them: “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Consider this: If you were faced with the decision right now to sacrifice your life for another, could you honestly do it? How easy would it be for you to come to that decision? No one would deny how difficult that would be, neither would anyone immediately jump to the chance. That’s the incredible difference between human love and God’s love, which is pure, consistent, sacrificial, and unconditional.

We all know that our family and friends have a special kind of love for us. Still, human love is imperfect. It is conditional, romantic, and even sentimental. But there is a love that exceeds the human heart and it is absolutely perfect. No one can even come close to showing you the kind of love that God gives. Like David did in Psalm 34:8, I invite you to “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” We must open God’s Word, chew on it, swallow it, and digest it. The Bible reveals the Lord’s goodness, and it takes us into the realm of His perfect love. By the way, you don’t have to look far to experience God’s love. If you choose, you can see it right now, right where you are. Just look around and see, His marvelous creation declares His glory (Psalm 19) and His glory reveals His extraordinary love for humanity.

In Romans 5:8 for instance, it is recorded: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Only a loving God would make such an awesome sacrifice. When I think about God’s definition of love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8), I can’t help but be in awe by His Majesty and His nature, which is love. The Lord loves us so much that every day He gives us a chance to come to Him in faith. In 2 Peter 3:9 we learn: “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.”

When we turn away from our sins and come to Jesus Christ with sincerity of heart, the Lord will forgive us. Because God is love, and because we are precious in His sight, He is constantly pursuing us.

Even if you don’t know the Lord and perhaps you have rejected Him (John 1:11-13), He still loves you with an everlasting love. He desires a relationship with you and me, not because He is lonely or that we deserve it, but because He is the epitome of love–love that is always in pursuit!

“God is love. He didn’t need us. But he wanted us. And that is the most amazing thing.”

-Rick Warren