Indescribable Love

Scriptures: 1 John 4:7-19, John 15:9-11, Ephesians 3:16-19

When we begin to look at love, our starting place must be with God. God is the source of love. Our Father in heaven is the origin of life and love itself, not just because He created love, but because He is love! We were created by perfect love. 

God’s love toward us can seem indescribable or even too good to be true. The Word tells us in John 15:9 that Jesus loves us in the same way His Father loves Him. Our problem, however, can be that human language and understanding cannot come close to conveying the height, depth, length, or breadth of God’s love for Jesus or Jesus’ love for us! This kind of perfect love can be hard for us to comprehend – in fact, Paul describes it as “love that surpasses our knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19).

So how do we begin to experience a fresh outpouring of His love? I feel compelled to encourage us all to lean into God Himself more. The greatest way to know His love is to know God better. This is not cliché – this is the truth. Sitting with Father does us good. Spending time in God’s presence is life and love to us. The more we see Him, the more we become like Him. 

There is no substitute for being with God. Today, perfect love – God Himself – invites you deeper into who He is. Will you accept love’s invitation? 

Prayer:

Father, give me a revelation of Your indescribable love for me. Thank You that You are the source of love and that You created me in perfect love!

Scriptures: John 3:16-18, Hebrews 4:14-16

God is love, and by his very nature, God gives generously. Therefore, there can be no love without giving. God the Father gave what was best for the human race; He gave his Son to reconcile us to Himself. Love always gives its best as the giver; the giver gives its best, for the best of the receiver. 

One of the greatest mysteries for us as believers is that a perfect God would accept us and love us so dearly. 

As my Dad has often said, “My heavenly Father doesn’t tolerate me – He just loves me bouncing into His presence!” Did you get that? Our Heavenly Father doesn’t just tolerate us. He loves us more than we could imagine! We are not a burden to Him, or a bother to Him, or a failure to Him. He loves us and accepts us! 

Sure, there are plenty of times when He needs to lovingly lead us forward, and sometimes that is through the doorway of discipline. But even that is done from a place of accepting and loving us. 

The writer of Hebrews encourages us to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) We are invited to come boldly before God’s throne of grace. Why? Because He loves us and has accepted us as His own, knowing we will make mistakes, yet He is committed to us on the journey. 

Prayer:

Thank You, Father, for accepting me, for loving me, and for never giving up on me. 

Scriptures: Ephesians 2:1-5, Romans 8:31-39

In 1686, Sir Isaac Newton presented three laws of motion. His third law stated that for each and every action or force, there is an equal and opposite reaction. You might have learned about it in physics. For example, a rocket travelling in space is propelled by fuel pushed backwards out of the rocket in the opposite direction to which it is travelling. 

Similar to Newton’s third law, for every action in God, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Let me explain. 

Love always gives, but it also always withholds. What love gives and what love withholds are opposite, but they are equally love. 

• God gave us His Son and He withheld punishment. 
• God gave us mercy and He withheld judgement. 
• God gave us life and He withheld death. 

Father’s love and grace means that on one hand we receive what we DIDN’T deserve because of His generosity. We receive eternal life when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. On the other hand, God chooses to withhold what we DID deserve – His wrath. God’s incredible love gives eternal life, and withholds eternal separation.

It’s time to thank God for what He gave, but it is also time to thank God for what He withheld. Both are founded in love. 

Prayer:

Thank You, God, for giving Your Son, but also for withholding punishment. I am grateful for Your incredible love and eternal life.

Scriptures: Galatians 2:20, Romans 8:14-17

Father called us into existence because He loved us and has a purpose for us. Being loved by God means we can find our identity in who God says we are.

Our identity is IN CHRIST. We are born of God and we were born to walk in the fullness of Father’s good, perfect and pleasing will for our lives. Our significance is connected to being a child of the living God.

Our name and identity is powerful. In Luke 2:21, it tells us that Jesus Christ was given a name before He was conceived. The name of Jesus means the Messiah and the Anointed. 

I believe Father wants us to live by the name He gave to us before we were even conceived – not by the name given to us by the circumstances of life, the stumbles along the way, or the opinions of others. The name our Father has given us is LOVED BY GOD.

You and I are not an accident or a mistake. We are birthed by, created by, formed by and loved by Almighty God, by Abba Father!!!

It’s time to live up to your name, and your identity is ‘loved by God’ – that’s who you are!

Prayer:

Father, may I find my identity in who You say that I am. I thank You that I am Your child and that I am loved by You God!

Scriptures: John 15:12-17, John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:19-21

God’s love is intended for us; but it is also meant to flow through us. 

We have received an unimaginable gift of love from God. Both the quality and quantity of God’s love is beyond description. It is from the basis of receiving God’s love that we can give to others. We don’t give from ourselves, but from the love of God that fills us to overflowing. We love because God first loved us.

Loving people is not just a suggestion, it is a command. Loving people is the reason God sent His Son. Loving people was the motivation for the Son of God to give His life for the world. Loving people is important to God. 

Jesus is our best example of how to love others. It is not up to us to set the measuring rod for how much we should love people. Jesus showed us a much higher way of love than our natural ways. 

Jesus loved regardless of whether or not that love was returned. He washed the feet of Judas even when He knew Judas was going to betray Him to death. The Son of God died an excruciating death although those He was dying for mocked Him, beat Him, and ridiculed Him. Jesus loved Peter even though Peter denied Him three times. Following the command to love others, even when it is difficult, is powerful. God’s love activated through us becomes a witness to the world – that we are followers of Christ.

It’s time for us to honour God by loving people as Jesus loves people.

Prayer:

Father, would You help me each and every day to love people in the same way that Jesus loved. I want Your love to flow through me so that my life would be a witness to others. 

Scripture: Mark 10:46-52

We can start our day with every intention to love God and love others. We can even plan to do so, mapping out time with God and time to serve and love others. But we can also miss what God is doing in the moment when our focus is elsewhere.

I’ll be honest with you. Interruptions can frustrate me. I have a plan, I am focused on the task at hand, my time is organised for the day… then something happens to interrupt my schedule. I get a phone call, someone knocks at my door, or suddenly there is a need that is urgent. And I will admit that patience and love has not always been my response (I’m just being real here)!

Yet when we look at the life of Jesus, so many of His encounters with people happened not out of a scheduled stop, but from apparent ‘interruptions’ in His journey. Jesus was often leaving a region after a day of ministry or passing through a town on His way to His intended destination. People called out to Him, even to the point of others telling them to be quiet, “Stop interrupting Jesus! He’s busy! He’s done His ministry for today! He needs to rest!” 

But amidst the busyness and His intended journey, Jesus stopped. He listened. He responded. He stayed. He LOVED. Indescribable love sees the person, not the problem. 

Perhaps Jesus’ equation was different to ours. Maybe Jesus saw interruptions not as frustrations, but as an opportunity to love people.

Prayer:

Father, may I love more like Jesus when it comes to interruptions in my day. 

Scriptures: Psalms 18:1, Psalms 101:1, Matthew 22:34-40, 1 Corinthians 13:13

There is power in declaring our love for the Lord. There are a lot of things we can say to God and a lot of prayers that we can pray, but there is one phrase that is greatest of all.

Saying “I love You Lord” is the pinnacle of our communication with God. When things are in life are fantastic, “I love You Lord” is a grateful reflection of our heart. When circumstances are challenging, “I love You Lord” is a powerful choice to worship the Creator of the heavens and the earth. 

Loving God does not do away with questions, doubts or even fears. It simply puts those things into their correct perspective, that is, subject to the Lord who we love and trust. King David, who was considered a man after God’s own heart, continually poured out his love and praise for God in the Psalms, even when his life was in danger. Here’s my simple encouragement to us all today: Let’s continually say “I love You Lord”. Something happens in heaven every time we do.

As we journey through this life, and we walk towards eternity, many things are important. Faith is vital, and hope is indispensable. But the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that both faith and hope fade in comparison to love. 

In your day today, there are many important things, but none are greater than love. As you pray about the future, wisdom is needed, but love is needed more. As you consider decisions, there are many factors, but none are greater than love. 

Moment by moment, day by day, year by year, nothing is greater than the power of God’s indescribable love. Nothing. May we grow in love and may we reflect Him accurately. 

Prayer:

I love You Lord! With my whole heart I declare my love for You. I praise You because You are a good God.