Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NLT)
Sometimes, we can feel awkward when we openly express affection to others. But the Bible, by contrast, doesn’t hold back on its presentation of God’s love. Jeremiah recounted God’s affection for His people with these tender words: “I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3). Even when we turn from Him or make an error, God never gives up on us. He promised He would draw us to Himself, care for and comfort us, thus giving us the peace and rest we need.
Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s restorative love, giving that peace and rest to any who turn to Him. From a leader to the cross to the empty tomb, He’s the personification of God’s desire to call a wayward world to Himself. Hence, walk in God’s everlasting love in humility and selflessly ask God to set your soul on fire for Him.
God is love and a source of all love (1 John 4:7-8). When someone experiences God’s love and responds to it by allowing the Holy Spirit to begin molding his/her heart into the shape of God’s, the rest of the family will reap tremendous benefits. Such is God’s love.
We have passages of Scripture, such as 1 Corinthians 13, to teach us about the true nature of love, what it is, and what it isn’t. As we let the Holy Spirit guide us, the love of God starts to well up inside of us and flows out, and family dynamics are altered.
Believers continue to draw nearer to God through Bible study and prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to produce God’s love in your heart and to make His love evident to everyone close to you, thereby drawing them to Him.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your everlasting love. Thank You for the presence of Your Holy Spirit, Who continues to lead us as we walk in the light. May others see Your good works through us, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Read: John 15:4-5; 1 Corinthians 13:13
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 25:1-7; Mark 6:30-56; Exodus 31; Exodus 32; Exodus 33:1-6
