Do we love God? ∙

Do we love God? ∙

We love him because he first loved us. – 1 John 4:19

1 John 4:16-19

 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

 18 Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

 19 We love him because he loved us first.

People often form an imagined Fantasy Bond with others, notably the Father God.

Love is often thought of as an emotion involving feelings. But feelings come and go. It is better to think of love as a verb involving action. “Love is dynamic and requires action to thrive” (Dr. Lisa Firestone). Love in action facilitates and sustains feelings of love. Love is a decision. Our actions reflect our choice to love someone. We can decide to behave in such a way that demonstrates intimacy, compassion, affection, respect, and kindness.

We only have control over our own feelings, not those of others. We only have control over half of our relationship. Love requires reciprocity. If it does not exist, we might be dwelling in a fantasy world.

A Fantasy Bond is “an illusion of connection and closeness” (Dr. Lisa Firestone). Individuals imagine that love exists when, in fact, there is actually emotional detachment. A fantasy bond forms when couples substitute the outward form of being in a relationship in place of genuine love and closeness. A fantasy bond is no more than a mere facade of being in a relationship (Dr. Lisa Firestone).

Sadly, too many children of the King have a fantasy bond with the Father rather than a real bond.

How does the Father bring us into a love relationship with Him?

How does He nurture a loving relationship?

Does He use fear, particularly fear of judgment? Absolutely not, He employs love to beckon us to come to Him.

How can we love God? Our love for the Father is our heartfelt reaction to His love for us. The Father loves each child of the King. But more than that, He is in love with us!

When we finally perceive and comprehend this reality, it results in a paradigm shift in our hearts and minds. Understanding that we are loved is one thing; experiencing love is entirely different. When we experience His love, we love Him in return. The Father always takes the initiative. We love Him because He first loved us.

“The more we realize and experience how much God loves us, the more we are motivated to love Him in return.” (Marshall).

REFLECT & PRAY

1 John 4:10 This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Father thank You for choosing to love me. Encourage me to fall in love with You. Enable me to demonstrate my love for You and others through my actions.

INSIGHT

When we seek to begin a love relationship with another person, there’s often an underlying sense of fear and apprehension. This stems from our uncertainty and doubt about whether our feelings will be reciprocated. This can never happen in our relationship with the Father. Because when we reach out to Him, it is in response to Him reaching out to us. There is no reason for fear because the Father’s love precedes ours (Akin).

When we are assured of the Father’s love and our adoption into His Forever Family, we enjoy a settled sense of assurance and well-being. Our hearts and minds can be at rest. When we realize that any uncertainty surrounding our eternal destiny is settled and sure, we can rest secure and confident in our Father’s loving embrace. When we reside in the security and safety of the Father’s love for us, we will find ourselves free from all fear. Love for the Father sets us free. Fear’s icy grasp of our hearts and souls melts away.

Because the Father loved us first, we merely reciprocate. There is no reason to fear. Instead, in its place, there is a calm, settled peace and confidence within our hearts.

But wait, there’s even more!

1 John 4:8-10

 8 God is love.

 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

 10 This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Ponder that for a moment: “God loves me!” The Father is in love with me. He has me in his heart and mind. He thinks of me and cares about me. It is a warm, delightful experience to know and feel the love of a dear wife or a kind husband. There is tender sweetness in the love of a little child or a tender mother or supportive father. But to know that the King of the universe, my Father God, loves me is infinitely better (Spurgeon)!

“Who is it that loves you? God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the Almighty, All in all, does he love me? Even he? . . .. the Infinite loves me! And who is it that he loves? Me . . .. But this is the personal point – he loves me, an insignificant nobody, full of sin – who deserved to be in hell; who loves him so little in return – God loves Me” (Spurgeon).

1 John 4:18 Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not been perfected in love.

The Greek word translated as perfect or perfected is teleios. Teleios has the sense of finished, complete, mature, full, wanting in nothing, that which has reached its end. In English, perfect connotes being flawless. But perfect love here does not have the sense of being absolutely perfect, impeccable. Many children of the King are strong and ardent in their pursuit of maturity. But none of them are stainless.

Regarding maturity, consider the lifecycle of a dog. It begins life as a puppy. In time, it becomes an adolescent and then an adult. At that point, it is “mature.” But it continues to grow in maturity for the rest of its life. So it is with the children of the King.

As we grow and mature, the Father’s perfect love eradicates all fear. On the other hand, when any child of the King lives in fear, it indicates that they have not yet been perfected in love. There is “no room for fear in love” (NEB). The two are as incompatible as oil and water. Fear and love are mutually exclusive. Fear is a cruel oppressor. The Father’s love expels fear from our minds and hearts, providing comfort and tranquility.

We cannot approach Him in love and cower in fear from Him at the same time. Debilitating fear of God is vanquished. Love “flings it out of doors” (Stott).

“Servile fear is the spirit of bondage, but love is the spirit of adoption. The evangelical principle gives boldness and confidence . . .. Fear keeps at a distance and prevents boldness of access” (Jonathan Edwards).

If we are afraid of the Father, it tells us a lot about ourselves.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 8-30-1

© Dr. H 2023