Modeling God’s Love…

Modeling God’s Love…

The most well-known bible verse is probably the most profound; ”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 KJV) God loves us, all of us. No matter our sex, color or height, His love is extended to each of us. And this love brings about the gift of grace. Through His grace we can find salvation and forgiveness of our sins. This grace is the free and unmerited favor of God. In other words we don’t deserve it and there is nothing we can do in our own power to obtain it. It is a gift from a loving God.

We are expected to share His love to those around us in the same way that He shares it to us, to become conduits of His love. As Douglas Jacobson wrote, we need to “externalize the internalized love”.

Our Father God has given us the choice of free will and He stands ever ready to bestow upon us the power and embrace of His love. He never forces the love upon us, but waits for us to come to Him. Hence when we share His love through our words, thoughts and actions we need to remember that His love does not smother the recipient, but enhances them. It is never overbearing because it is welcomed by the recipient. Life proves to us that forced love never brings positive results.

As we learn to reflect His love we need to direct in the same way that He does. It must be appropriate for the situation, desired and needed by the receiver. Care must always be taken that the sharing of love never exposes the neediness of those being embraced. It must always be love offered lovingly.

Of course none of us are perfect and it only logical that we grow in Christ and become more like Him as we work at exercising our faith. We are all works in progress and must remember that God does not call us to be passive in our love, rather active in growing and sharing it.