He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 Joh 4:8)
LOVE – the single most important thing in life and in eternity. There’s no way that we can “love too much”!
Firstly, God is love—as shown in the verse above. That’s why it was easy to make the statement above that love is the single most important thing in life and in eternity. This is true simply because God IS love—and HE is the most important Being in life and in eternity. I believe that without God, mankind would have no concept of love. God IS love—pure, perfect, unconditional, unending love.
God chose to create us with a free will. We can choose to obey Him or not; and we can choose to love God or not. But when we DO love God and serve Him, He causes amazing things to happen in our lives.
Here are just some of the wonderful things that God provides and does for those who love and serve Him:
- Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful . . . (Ps 31:23) He preserves [maintains, upholds, sustains) His people.
- Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. (Ps 91:14) God will deliver us when we’re in trouble; and He will set us on high. God made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus—that is being “set on high.” (Eph 2:6)
- I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. (Ps 116:1) God hears our voices as we pray to Him. And another verse in the Bible (1 Joh 5:14-15) says that when we know that God has heard us, we know that He has given us the very thing for which we have prayed. Glory to God!
- The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous. (Ps 146:8) The Lord gives sight to the blind; straightens those who are bent over and removes their burden; and He loves us. The Lord is our healer. (Ex 15:26; 23:25; Isa 53:4-5; Jer 30:17; Jam 5:14-15)
- That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, that I may fill their treasuries. (Pro 8:21) Wisdom (represented as a person) is speaking in this verse, and all wisdom comes from God Himself. So this verse says that God causes those who love Him to inherit wealth, and He fills their bank accounts.
This list includes verses from the Old Testament only, but there are even better promises in the New Testament for us! My point in this discussion is that LOVE is a hugely important gift to consider. And there are even bigger and better indications of God’s love for us in the New Testament. Search out those hidden treasures for yourself!
We know that God loves each one of us. But in addition to His love, He has allowed us to love and to be loved by fellow human beings. That is one of God’s chief gifts to us. The reason it is so key is because every ounce of love that we either feel for another or receive from another is a reminder and a representation of God Himself—who is love.
Treasure, cherish and appreciate every single person who loves you and whom you love. Enjoy the fact that you’re able to love other people, and that you’re able to receive and to experience their love for you.
Love—it’s a gift of God to each one of us.
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