God is love.

This simple phrase has rightly captivated the minds of many. The Bible reveals that God is many things that are intrinsic to His being. He is Holy. (Psalm 99:9) He is Spirit (John 4:24) He is the Lord (Exodus 3:14) He is Powerful (Job 36:5) He is eternal (Psalm 90:2) One of the greatest of these is that He is love. His love communicates all these attributes to us in a way that is encouraging and hopeful

God is love. Love is the very nature of God’s being. All God does is an expression of His great love. Every choice God made was a choice to love. He created a Garden for Adam and Eve out of love. He forbade them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because He is love. He cursed all creation because He is love. He condemned sinful man to death because He is love. All He does is an expression of His infinite love.

The love of God is daily poured out on the world. God’s love is evident in the continued existence of humanity. Because God’s compassion never fails, we are not consumed. (Lamentations 3:22) God’s love is new every single morning. His love is evident with each sunrise and continues through every sunset. God’s love is seen in the rain that falls upon all men. God’s love flows through all the rivers that run throughout the world bringing nourishment to plants, animals and people. God’s love is seen in the abundant provision of food for man and beast alike. All are fed by the loving hand of God. (Psalm 104) All of creation shows the love of God.

The supreme manifestation of God’s love is the death of Jesus on the cross. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) “God showed His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10)

Jesus taught His disciples, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down His life for His friends.” The love of God exceeds the even greatest of human loves, He laid down His life for His enemies. His love is given freely to all. He extends the offer salvation to all men knowing that the majority of mankind will reject Him. (John 1:11)

God’s love is even greater than man imagines because His love is transformative. God’s love is not content to leave sinners as they are. God’s love is greater than that. God’s love receives sinners who are not acceptable to Him and because of His own suffering He makes them pleasing to Himself. God’s gracious loves works in humanity and individual humans to make them what He designed them to be. He loves so much that He takes sin away and refuses to allow His children to persist in disobedience. God’s love is so great He chastens His beloved ones to make them like what He loves most- His Son.

The love of God is overwhelming to consider. The only fitting response to the magnificence of God’s love is to worship the God who loves so generously. Love supremely the One who loves you extravagantly.