For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16(NIV)
God loves you. You’re the apple of His eye. His love for you is everlasting.
Do you believe that?
Many people struggle to comprehend God’s love. We know that God loves us. But have a hard time understanding why God loves us with our flaws and weaknesses.
Maybe you’re one of them. You can’t help but wonder, why would a perfect God love someone like me?
Well, unlike man, whose love is conditional, God’s love is unconditional. Meaning God’s love for you isn’t dependent on you or what you do.
It is dependent on Him. This article will look at why God’s love is essential, the characteristics of his love, and reasons why God loves you.
Let’s begin:
Table of Contents
Why is it Important to Know that God Loves You?
There are so many books on the topic of love. Unfortunately, most of what is called love is not love at all. A deeper study of 1 Corinthians13 shows us that no human is truly capable of loving others without God’s help.
To love God, others, and ourselves, we need to, first of all, understand God’s love.
Why?
God’s Love leads to Repentance
What made you surrender your life to Jesus?
God’s love, right?
We are born with a sinful nature. This sinful nature separates us from God, and it is only the love of God that can draw us near to Him.
When we understand how much God loves us, our hearts are filled with godly sorrow. And we can turn from sin to Christ. Knowing how much God loves you will cause you to change your mind about sin, God, and people.
It helps us to love others
Most people end up being bitter with others and in life because they tried to love others but got rejected. They try to do everything to please people but are abandoned in the end. Human effort will not help you to love others unconditionally.
God’s love helps us to see others from the lens of the cross. It enables us to see the best in others even when they mess up or disappoint us. It also gives us the strength to forgive those that hurt us even when they don’t deserve our forgiveness.
Believing God loves you so much will enable you to love others without expecting anything in return (John 13:34-35).
God’s Love gives us Hope
No matter what is happening in the world or our lives, God will never disappoint us. If He gave up His Son for you, then God will fulfill His promises in your life.
The power of God’s love will give you hope even in your darkest times. It will keep you going even when you’re weary and on the verge of giving up.
Helps us to Accept Ourselves
We talk about loving and accepting others, but the truth is many of us struggle to accept ourselves. We are very critical of ourselves and are our own worst enemy.
But it should not be that way. We need to love ourselves. How you love yourself determines how you treat others.
Having said that, you need to know that there is a right and wrong way of loving yourself. With the rise of the ‘self-love’ movement, we need to be careful about how we love ourselves.
It is vital to love yourself, but it is not right to become arrogant all in the name of self-love.
That is where God’s love comes in. Understanding the love God has for you will cause you to appreciate others and yourself.
God loves you more in a moment than you will ever love yourself in a lifetime. Jesus, the good shepherd, lays his life down for you. So you’re a valuable person irrespective of what others may say.
It Casts Out Fear
We all struggle with fear because it is the number one strategy that the enemy uses against us.
God is the creator of heaven and earth. It is God who created Lucifer, which means that the enemy is not powerful. Even though he fills our minds with fear, he cannot harm us unless we let him. The enemy is limited.
The mighty hand of God surrounds you. Don’t give in to fearful thoughts. We are told in the word of God that there is no fear in love (1 John 4:18). God’s love will help cast out any kind of fear.
Characteristics of God’s Love.
Suffers long
By asking for his share of the inheritance, the prodigal son was disowning his father. He was indirectly saying that he couldn’t wait for his father to die.
But even though he left home, his father kept looking forward to his return. We can see this when the prodigal son returns home.
The Bible says that his father saw him while still far off and felt compassion for him. Meaning his father was always hopeful that his son would return home. So he kept looking, hoping, and waiting. (Luke 15:20)
Though the son had indirectly disowned the father, he did not give up for him. His love for the son was long-suffering. Even before the son would apologize, the father ran to him and welcomed him home.
This parable describes God’s love for us perfectly. Our heavenly Father is long-suffering. He patiently waits for us even when we mess up. He waits upon us to turn from our wicked ways and turn to Him.
Eternal
Even though we love our family, there will come a time when we shall be separated from them.
Though we promise to love each other forever, the truth is that is not humanly possible because we will leave this world at the end of it all. And the truth is some people that we love so much will not go to heaven.
It’s only God’s love that is eternal. See, hell wasn’t made for man. Hell was made for the devil and his demons. We are the only ones who can reject God’s love and choose to go to hell.
God is always there pouring out his love upon us. He wants to be with us forever. That is why at the end of time, God will make a new heaven and earth. God and man will live together forever.
Never Fails
There will be times when you’ll expect people to treat you a certain way, but they will not do that. People will fail you. We are wired differently, and we come from different backgrounds. So people express themselves differently.
Another thing to note is that we will also fail ourselves.
But God’s love never fails. Even though they are billions of people in this world, God is capable of loving each one of us unconditionally.
All of us are apples of His eyes, and He is able to love us beyond what we think or expect. There is no day God is going to tell you that he’s tired of you. God will never reject His children.
He has already been blessed in all aspects of life. You need to believe and draw them out from the spiritual realm in prayer. He already forsook His Son at the cross when Jesus became sin for us.
God Love Bears all things
All through the bible, we get to see how much God loves human beings. He bears all the rejection and sins that man commits even though he is God. Though man was created to worship God, we see him turning to other things and walking in disobedience.
While we can tolerate people to a certain level, we stop loving them when they overstep their boundaries. Even if we choose to love them, it will not be the same way. We do not want them to keep on disappointing us.
On the other hand, God bears our rejection, disobedience, and many things we humans do to him. He does not have to do it. After all, God can do perfectly fine without us. But he’s such a loving father that can bear our flaws and weaknesses.
This does not mean that he has given us a free ticket to live the way we want and get away with sin. But it shows us how much God tolerates us. We should not take this love for granted because the truth is no one will ever love you the way God loves you. Not even yourself.
God’s Love is Unselfish
We love people because we are related to them, or we share something in common with them. We also love others because there’s something that we are gaining from them.
God, on the other hand, loves us because He is love. It isn’t about what God will get from us. But what we get from Him once we accept His love for us.
Yes, we are supposed to obey the commandments God has given us. And to some people, it may appear like God’s love is conditional. But when we study the commandments God has given us, we find that they are for our good.
For example, we are told to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and souls. It is not because God is needy. Our love for God is not meant to make Him feel good about himself.
When we love God, we give him control over our lives. And in doing so, he’s able to pour his love on us and to protect us. God’s love also opens up doors for us to enjoy His blessings.
So at the end of it all, we see that God’s love for man is unselfish. It is not about what He gains from us but what we gain from Him when we accept His love.
Top 101 Reasons Why God Loves You.
1. God is love
2. God wants to be with you forever
3. He is mindful of you
4. He has given you dominion
5. God has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness
6. God gave up His only Son for you
7. God forgave you while you were yet a sinner
9. God has inscribed you in the palm of his hands
10. He knows you by name
11. He has given angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways
12. God knows your sitting down and your thoughts
13. God formed you in His own image
14. He leaves the ninety-nine
15. God is kind to you
16. God is hopeful about you
17. God doesn’t demand his way in your life: He has given you choice
18. God endures with you through every circumstance
19. God loves you because He rejoices over you
20. God has delivered you from the power of darkness
21. God is your shield
22. God accepts you
23. God is a good Father
24. He loves you because you accepted His Son Jesus as your Lord and Savior
25. You are the object of His love
26. God has Crowned you with honor and glory
27. God expects you to love others
28. God will never let you down
29. He has given us the Holy Spirit
30. God is gracious
31. We are His co-workers
32. God is our shepherd
33. We listen to His voice
34. We obey His commands
35. God has set us apart
36. God has given us life more abundantly
37. God is faithful
38. God loves you because you walk by faith
39. God understands us
40. He created the world for us
41. God leads us
42. God encourages us through his word and the Holy Spirit
43. He gives us the answer to life
44. God never fails us
45. He is preparing a place for us
46. God fights our battles
47. God has given us weapons of warfare
48. God predestined us to be adopted as His sons
49. God has marked with a seal that is the Holy Spirit as an assurance of our inheritance
50. God raised us up with Christ
51. We can approach Him with freedom and confidence
52. God carries us between His shoulders
53. God stores your tears in a bottle
54. God comforts us
55. God restores and strengthens us when we are weary
56. God will never be ashamed of us
57. God answers our prayers
58. He fulfills his covenant with us
59. God gives us the desires of our hearts
60. God delights in you
61. God has set you free from anxiety, fear, and doubt
62. God has redeemed you
63. God is your advocate
64. He is the author and perfector of your faith
65. God has delivered you from the kingdom of darkness
66. God heals you
67. God sanctify you
68. God gives you peace
69. Judges you righteously
70. God shields you
71. God gives you strength
72. He has made you righteous
73. God is your rock
74. God has given you dominion over the power of darkness
75. He calls you a friend
76. God loves you because he says so
77. God reveals his Secrets to us
78. God made you a new creation
79. God brought you with a price
80. His love for you never ends
81. God is merciful towards you
82God covers you with his feathers
83. Your heavenly Father has built a hedge of protection around you
84. He made a public spectacle of the devil on the cross
85. You are seated with Him in heavenly places
86. God has put the enemy under your feet
87. God will send his son to come back for you
88. Almighty God has given His angels charge over you
89. He is with you in trouble
90. God is your dwelling place
91. God has numbered the hair on your head
92. When God looks at you, he sees Jesus
94. God supplies all your needs
95. God doesn’t harbor his anger forever
96. God remembers that you are dust
97. God has made you a priest and king
98. God calls you salt and light
99. God calls you by name
100. God’s spirit counsels and teaches all things
101. God has made you fruitful
Conclusion
We all need to love believers and unbelievers alike. That is why people go to great lengths to find love.
Unfortunately, most of us are busy looking for love in the wrong places. Yes, God has instructed us to love one another. But to love correctly and genuinely, you need to understand why God loves you. And to accept His love.
We cannot give what we do not have. So spending time knowing and understanding the love of God is essential in the life of every believer and, in fact, every human being.
The more we walk in God’s love and embrace it, the easier it becomes for us to pour it on others.
