God is Love!

God is love! God doesn’t just have love; He is love, and therefore, His name is love! Love originates in God (1 John 4:7 – 8). God’s love will take care of us, and we can never be separated from His love (Romans 8:38 – 39). The love of God is a supernatural love called agape. It is not an emotion but a choice of the will to do what is best for another regardless of personal consequences. It is unconditional, everlasting (Jeremiah 31:3), and motivated by His grace (Ephesians 2:7- 8). God’s love is different than the world’s kind of love or even the love our earthly father showed us. God’s love is not self-centered or selfish and will never fail (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). God’s love involves the compassion or mercy of God (Psalm 86:15). He is a God of love, grace, and forgiveness. Read the following verses and meditate on the fact that God loves you!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (NKJV)

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

“Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NKJV)

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4 – 7 (NKJV)

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5 (NKJV)

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us because it did not know Him. 1 John 3:1 (NKJV)

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this, the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him. 1 John 4:8 – 10, 16 (NKJV)

We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (NKJV)

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38 – 39 (NKJV)

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18 (NKJV)

Fear is all about self-preservation and is the exact opposite of the nature of God. Fear and love can’t coexist. Fear comes from Satan, our enemy. Fear drives us away from God, but God’s love drives out fear. God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). God’s love is perfect. It isn’t our love for Him but His love for us (1 John 4:19). It is not enough to know that God loves us or to confess that He does, but to experience His agape love. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us a real revelation of the love of God. Knowing God loves us and that He is good will allow us to trust Him with our lives.

Everything God says and does is from a place of love because God is love. Satan wants to divert our attention from God’s love. He lies about Him and tries to make us think God is behind all the evils and troubles in the world today. So, when things go wrong, don’t blame God. The devil wants us to blame God so our faith in God will crumble, then he will steal everything we have! Remember, the devil steals, kills, and destroys (John 10:10).

When you have faith in God’s love for you, you have faith in God. Faith is seeing Jesus in His love for you (Ephesians 3:17-19). Jesus spoke words of love when He was dying on the cross when He said: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). God’s goodness and love can be seen in the person of Jesus when He was here on the earth. He represents the Father (John 5:19; 10:30; 14:6-10), and Jesus said in John 16:27 that “the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and believed that I came forth from God.”

Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). We don’t have to see or understand everything that happens in our lives at the moment, but we can look to Jesus and trust that God is good, He is good at being God, and He will work all things out for good for those who believe and follow Him (Romans 8:28). When we truly know and believe that God loves us, we can trust Him with our lives and in any situation or circumstance that we may find ourselves.

We may have difficulty in believing God loves us because of hurtful and challenging experiences in life that have caused pain. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any lies you believe about Jesus that overshadows the truth about Him, and He will tell you. Repent and ask for forgiveness then, ask Him for the truth. Replace these lies with the truth from His Word and follow His leading. Once connected to the love of God, our hearts are safe, and we can then receive from Him all that we need.

God created us to operate on His love. That is how we become whole. God, the Father, is approachable through Jesus Christ. When you receive Jesus as your personal Savior, the very love of God is poured into your heart by His Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5), and that love will grow because it is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22- 23). The only thing that can change our lives is the love of God. Trusting in God means believing He loves you, that He is good, has the power to help you, and that He will! What I have discovered is that I can only trust God when I get to know Him, and I am in a relationship with Him. Spending time with Him by meditating on the Word of God, in prayer, and worshiping Him brings real intimacy and fellowship with Him!

Because God loves us, He wants to meet our needs and for us to be blessed and prosper in every area of our lives! Remember, He is the Good Shepherd, and it is His love that gives us all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17).  When we depend on Him, we will not lack anything (Psalm 23:1). But we must learn to trust God and the power of His love. There are steps we can take to believe God loves us by trusting Him, trusting in His Word, His Name, and the integrity of His character (i.e., His goodness, mercy, grace, etc.). Learn to trust His love; His love to save, heal, deliver, provide, and protect, etc. His love does great things, and when we know we are loved, we do great things! When we have fear, worry, or lack of trust, it means we don’t believe the love of God. Believe in His love. Live in the revelation that God loves you. It will change your life!

We are to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, to love others as ourselves, and not to love the world! We can’t do this without first experiencing His love for us and without His strength and grace.

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the first and great commandment. “And the second is like it; ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37 – 39 (NKJV)

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15 – 17 (NKJV)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:7 – 8 (NKJV)

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 1 John 4:11 – 12 (NKJV)

The love of God is on our side, and He wants to pour His love on us and to see us blessed. It is because of God’s love that we can receive His grace and blessings.

If you would like to experience the love of God and to have peace with Him through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, pray this suggested prayer out loud right now. You can also pray in your own words. Remember, it is not words or prayer alone that will save you. Prayer is a way to reach out to the Lord and must be done in faith (completely trusting in Him to save you). Christ will save you if you pray these or similar words in faith.

Heavenly Father,

Your Word says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. I ask You to forgive me for my sins. I want to turn from them and turn to You. I am calling on You and ask Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord over my life. I believe that Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for me. I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, and He is alive today. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me the Holy Spirit to live inside of me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and Your healing power in my life. I now belong to You. Help me to live for You and obey You all the days of my life.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You are now born again and part of God’s family! You can find some steps on how to grow in your relationship with Him on my website https://AlexisCarucci.com. Click on the menu button and then on the document “Welcome to God’s Family!” You will also find blogs on how to live the abundant life Jesus came to give you and a free e-book you may download.

Last week we saw that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all. Today we saw that God is love. Decree over yourself frequently, “I am a child of love and light!” “I walk in the Light and Love of God!”

My prayer for you:

That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17 – 19 (NKJV)