ETERNAL LOVE PART 1: GOD'S LOVE FOR MAN

Eternal Love | Part 1: God's Love for Man


John 3:16


God is love. His thoughts, His feelings, the very essence of His nature, of who and what He is, is pure, undiluted, immeasurable love. Every act of creative power flows from infinite love and is an expression of LOVE Himself.

LOVE actively seeks to do good to others, to bring joy to others. It was for this purpose, that LOVE created a perfect world. "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3) flowers was the first gift. The dry ground, watered by the divided waters, the lights in the heavens, the stately trees, the delicate flowers, the joyous birds, the loving animals, all were His love-gifts, planned as part of a perfect world for the human race.

When the Creator was finished crafting a perfect world, it could not be any better. Looking upon the scene, LOVE saw that "it was good." (See Genesis 1.) When the world was ready, LOVE made humans. Not as robots or servants, but as His own children, "in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27

Mouth-upon-mouth, God breathed into man His own breath of life. God, I AM THAT I AM, covenanted to be man's Elohim, to provide everything needed, not just for life itself, but for happiness, interesting pursuits, contentment, love and peace. This was all one huge gift, flowing from the great heart of LOVE Himself.

But true love is more than just gifts. It is more than mere words. True love invests time in the beloved.

The boy's toes curled under his covers in sheer excitement. Today was his birthday! His Daddy had promised him a very special day. Jumping out of bed, he ran to the living room full of anticipation. The sight that met his eyes more than fulfilled his hopes: colorful decorations and many balloons had turned an ordinary room into a bright and festive scene. A mound of gaily wrapped packages promised more enjoyment to come.

Eagerly seeking the giver of all these good things, the little boy dashed to the kitchen. Even the breakfast table had been set to look extra-special and the smell of his favorite foods made his mouth water. There, resting upon his plate, was a card. Surely a birthday card! Joyously ripping open the envelope, the boy read:
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The boy wiggled in excitement. His was the best Daddy in the whole wide world! Could his special day get any better than this? Then his eyes fell on the next words:

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The joy and eager excitement of the day were gone. The boy's eyes filled with tears as he looked at his father's gifts. What he really boy crying wanted was to be with his Daddy. All the presents in the world could not compare to spending a day with his Daddy, playing with his Daddy and having his Daddy listen to what he had to say.

As a loving, wise Father, God knew that all His presents without His presence could not be fully enjoyed. More than anything else He had given His children, He knew they wanted His attention, they wanted interaction with LOVE Himself. And so God went beyond supplying mere material gifts; He did more than say words of love. He gave them Himself by giving them His time.

Every week, every seventh day was set aside as a special time between the Creator and His children. LOVE "saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good . . . Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day . . . [LOVE] ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made." (Genesis 1:31-2:2)

God planned into time, occasions for His presence: weekly Sabbaths and monthly New Moons were invitations to spend time with Him.

father and son A father who loves his children, enjoys spending time with them. In today's world, most fathers are away from home working a good share of the time. He looks forward to the weekend when they can spend a whole day together, but one day a week is not enough. When the day's work is finished, he hurries home and spends time with his children before bedtime. One day a week was not enough for God, either. LOVE would come "in the cool of the evening"1 to spend time with His children.

When His children sinned, LOVE did not withdraw His presence, but drew nearer still. annual feasts were given and required because He knew that without the requirement His fallen children would not stop work long enough to spend time with Him. They would forget that their greatest joys were centered in LOVE.

Divine love is eternal love. It flows from the great heart of God who is the source of all love, joy and happiness. God's love is the single most powerful force in the universe. It is the very essence of who and what He is.
Young children usually do not like to brush their teeth. The spicy toothpaste burns their tongue and, truth is, if they were not told to go clean their teeth, they would not remember to do so. Loving parents require the children to brush their teeth because the parents know that if the teeth are not kept clean, the children will experience the pain of tooth decay. Parents also know that daily tooth-brushing is necessary if the children will still have all their teeth when they are grown and parents know that their children will want to have their teeth when they are grown. What seems like an onerous requirement to the children, stems from the love the parents feel for their children.

Such is the case with the time LOVE requires His children to spend with Him. Because "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (see Romans 3:23) people want to spend time with their heavenly Father about as much as a naughty child with a guilty conscience wants to spend time with her parent. However, LOVE knows that His children's greatest joy and happiness will be found when they spend time with Him, so He requires time spent with Him in the hope that His children will learn they do not need to fear Him, that they will, instead, see the beauty of LOVE and grow to love Him in return.

Humans view the Sabbath as a Command when it is an invitation. They see the feasts as a requirement when, in actuality, the feasts are a privilege. In the Hebrew economy, God set aside every seventh-year for His children to spend time with Him. The entire year was devoted to be a Sabbatical! Every fiftieth year was an extra-special sabbatical time, the year of Jubilee, when slaves were set free and debts were canceled.

Only by love given is love awakened in return, so God set aside ample time for all to have the opportunity to become acquainted with Him, to be charmed by the beauty of His character and learn to trust in His love. This was necessary because divine Love is very different from human love. Human love is an emotion that is fickle and untrustworthy. Divine Love is a principle that knows no changing and is the single most powerful force in the universe.

Love is strong as death . . . Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. (Song of Solomon 8:6, 7, KJV)

DIVINE LOVE VS. HUMAN LOVE

Poets, novelists, songwriters and more have capitalized on the very basic human desire to be loved. Movies tell stories of people finding "love"; singers croon happy couple about "Endless Love" or bewail "Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places." Everyone everywhere looks for someone who will love them for who and what they are, and accept them in spite of what they are not. All of this is called "love."

Such love is not the same as divine Love. Human "love" is always overshadowed by some degree of selfishness. Even the dictionary definition of "love" is tainted by selfishness: "In a general sense to be pleased with; to regard with affection, on account of some qualities which excite pleasing sensations . . . ."2

True love, however, has its source in the heart of Infinite LOVE: God Himself. Divine Love, free from all selfishness, is sometimes more accurately translated into King James English as "charity." This is the pure Love that fills the heart of the Father:

that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. . . . In a more particular sense, love, kindness, affection, tenderness, . . . liberality in judging of men and their actions; a disposition which inclines men to think and judge favorably, and to put the best construction on words and actions which the case will admit.3

open Bible All of Scripture is one long, unfolding record of undying, divine LOVE. From the first to the last, the Bible reveals the character of God to be pure Love, untainted by any hint of selfishness.

The records preserved in Scripture reveal God's disposition of Love to the creatures He has made. Although we have sinned against Him, and hurt Him as an unfaithful wife against the Husband who has always lovingly cared for her (see Hosea), LOVE thinks "favorably" toward sinners and ever seeks to "do them good." LOVE "inclines . . . to think and judge favorably, and to put the best construction on words and actions which the case will admit."4

It is here that the huge chasm between LOVE and humans is most clearly demonstrated.

There is a difference between actions and reactions. A person's actions are the result of decisions. Reactions, on the other hand, are based purely on physical or emotional stimuli. Touch a hot element on your stove, and you will not take the time to decide how you want to act. You will immediately react: you will jerk you hand away and probably say, "Ouch!"

To know what is truly in the depths of a person's heart and soul, study his reactions. Reactions reveal who and what a person is in a way that mere actions never can. Here is an example of a defensive mother that showcases the difference in human reaction compared to divine Love:

scared child"When my daughter started coming home from school with bruises from a bully, I experienced a very strong reaction . . . and it was not a reaction of instant forgiveness for the boy who had left bruises on my little girl. I reacted calmly by carefully instructing my daughter on how to place a strong, well-aimed blow to the solar plexus to take the air from his lungs and inspire respect in him (at least respect for her strength if nothing else) so he would leave her alone...."

This inappropriate reaction was based on the mother's love for her daughter . . . with no love whatsoever lost on the boy who had hurt her. Such a reaction is totally human and completely opposite God's reaction to personal injury or abuse. God's consistent and instantaneous reaction is: forgiveness. God's reaction to personal insult and injury puts the best construction on the other person's words and actions even when those words and actions bring intense and personal pain to God!

This is the very essence of LOVE. He gives because He loves, without keeping track of how much He receives in return. His feelings are hurt when His gifts are taken for granted, but His first reaction is to forgive! We see this in the ultimate sacrifice of His Blessed Son, Jesus; our perfect pattern for behaviour in ALL things!

LOVE thinks favorably of others. LOVE acts in ways that brings joy to others and He reacts with instant forgiveness, regardless of the provocation.

LOVE is compassionate and easily moved by the hurts and distresses of others.

LOVE is kind: He is "disposed to do good to others, and to make them happy by granting their requests, supplying their wants or assisting them in distress; having tenderness or goodness of nature; benevolent."5

LOVE is gracious: He is "kind; friendly . . . disposed to forgive offenses and impart unmerited blessings."6

LOVE is merciful: He possesses that "mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than the open hand deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant."7

As the Father of all, LOVE feels pity: He feels "pain or grief for one in distress."8

Above all, LOVE is benevolent: He has "a disposition to do good; possessing love to mankind and a desire to promote their prosperity and happiness."9

Pure, divine Love is the most powerful force in the entire universe and God, who Himself is the source of true Love provides His children with an in-depth look into His character in what has come to be known as The Love Chapter:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13

This chapter is a divinely inspired description of LOVE Himself. Every time the word "love" is used, insert LOVE's personal name, God:

God suffers long and is kind; God does not envy; God does not parade Himself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek His own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Yahuwah never fails.

To gain a sobering comparison between divine LOVE and human love, try reading the same passage but insert your own name instead:

[Insert name here] suffers long and is kind; [name] does not envy; [name] does not parade him/herself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek his/her own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [Name] never fails.

alt Ouch. My name does not fit there as well. How did yours do? Only LOVE meets all the parameters. Only His divine character can be so described.

It is this Love, true Love, pure Love, that LOVE Himself offers you.

All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel of human hearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny rill [trickle of water] to the boundless ocean when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love of God. Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given you, in the endeavour to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of the love of God



The Love of God

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Refrain:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Open your heart to LOVE. His words of entreaty echo down through the centuries: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you. I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you." (Jeremiah 1:5; 31:3

Trust your Creator. Spend time studying His character. Commit yourself into His care and keeping because God is Love.