Hello Altered Stories family. As this month is typically known as the month of love, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this by asking a few questions.
We normally think of love as love for family or perhaps a significant other. However, where does love start? Who is the very author of love?
The Bible says that God is love, not that He just loves, but that He is the very personification of love. He is love and it is out of His love that He loves us.
With this as the backdrop, it gives new meaning to the verse that most people know. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whosoever believes in Him will not parish, but have everlasting life.”
God can’t help but love the world, and my friend that means you and me. The Bible says that He sings over us, and if you take a look at the Ariana blessing, it says, “May the Lord bless you and keep you, may He make His face to shine upon you and lift up His countenance on you.” That verse in Hebrews is talking about lifting up his countenance. It means like a daddy might do when he lifts up his baby above his own head. It also indicates that God is smiling and taking joy in you.
And what is all of this born out of? It is the love that God can’t help but to love us because that is who He is.
Consider the creation account. It indicates God spoke the world into existence and created everything. Yet when it came to creation of man, He didn’t speak us in to existence. He bent down into the dirt and formed Adam with his own hands.
I also believe that it was those same hands that were stretched out on a cross in payment for our sin. All of this was done out of love.
Now I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that God is Holy, holy, holy and He gives the choice to us if we want to love Him back. I will deal with this topic about God in a future blog.
However for now, remember this, God doesn’t just maybe love you because He has to. He loves you because this is who He is. Because of that love, can’t we share it with others? Aren’t we commanded to share it with others?
“As I have loved you, so must you love each other.” This statement found in His word isn’t a request, it is a command. Our Lord also says that if we love Him we will obey His commands.
And trust me my friend, I find this just as convicting for myself as I do writing it for you.
So let’s work to be as loving to our friends, family and even the strangers that we meet, showing them the love of our Lord.
We may not get it right all the time, but His love can go so much further than we can think or imagine.
Until next time,
God bless,
Teresa Blaes
