6 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17 (NKJV)

What is true love? What does true love look like? How can you tell that someone really loves you? And what are the signs of this love that everyone seems to desire. We desire to love and to be loved. And, we see this from the movies we watch and the kind of books we read. And amazing as some of those materials are, there's no greater love than the love that God offers.

To know what true love really is, we have to find out from the very source of love. God doesn't just love; He is the embodiment of love.

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16 (NKJV)

God is love. Everything He is and everything He does is from a place of love. Knowing this gives us so much freedom. Knowing this truth helps us in our relationship with God. Sometimes, our idea of God's love for us is not the right depiction of what it's meant to be.

If we have bad experiences in relationships, whether family relationships or romantic relationships, we can easily doubt the genuineness of God's love. There are many people who fail to come to Christ simply because of how they were treated by the people they should have received love from.

The English language doesn't have much range towards what we mean by "love." We use the same word for the love we have for our parents. And the love we have for our friends. And, the same word is used for the love we have for our pets. What does God's love look like?

Divine Love

God's Love is divine. God's love is pure and not self-seeking. God's love doesn't come with conditions. It is proactive. It is intentional. It is a choice. Love is not a feeling. I know that we have many feelings, but Love isn't just a feeling. There's a time those feelings diminish. God shows us through the scriptures that love is an attitude of your heart.

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 1 John 4:9 (NKJV)

From the scripture above, we see that God is intentional about loving us. He doesn't love us because it makes Him look good. There was nothing for him to gain back. He chose to manifest Himself in this way. Whether we receive God's love or not, it doesn't take away from who God is.

The love that we normally show can be conditional. And because of the conditions, we end up setting ourselves up for failure. Sometimes we love because we want to be loved back. Love is a choice. We choose to do it whether it's been reciprocated or not.

If God's love were conditional, Jesus wouldn't have made it to the cross. There were so many people that never reciprocated that love that He has for us. Many different times, Jesus was almost killed. In some cases, he managed to escape. The love that God has for us expects nothing back. And that's why we should love God.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

God's love is proactive. What could sinners offer Jesus? There was nothing we could offer God. But Jesus chose to be sin so that we could gain His righteousness. How does this help us in relating with God? Well, we can be sure that God loves us more than anything He created on this earth. He doesn't wait for us to love Him. That's why Jesus' love is so magnetic and draws so many of us to Him.

God's love is sacrificial

2 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. John 15:12-14 (NKJV)

God's love is an expression of an intentional pursuit of His creation. It wasn't a mistake for Jesus to love us. Have you ever heard of stories of people that had "flings" or situational relationships? Those are the kind that can only work in a given environment and in a given space. And it's based entirely on feelings. Feelings are not bad per se. Living life based on how we feel can mislead us. Do you think that Jesus felt like dying?

The scriptures rather reveal the opposite. In the final moments leading to His death, Jesus prayed three times for His cup to be taken away. What does that mean? He didn't feel like doing it. In that moment again, we see an expression of God's love to us. Each time He prayed for that cup to be taken away, He immediately subjected Himself to God's will for His life. Which was to die for our sins.

God's love lays itself down for us. Jesus chose us. This means, even if you were the only person on earth, Jesus would have died for you. When we make God's love personal, it gives us more reasons to serve Him with our lives. What could have been done for our sins? Nothing! Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. The one sacrifice that would lead us right into the kingdom of God.

No amount of prayer was going to save us. No amount of offering. Jesus was the only One that could save us from our sin. And that is what freedom is. Freedom is knowing that our sins have been dealt with. Our mind-set now has to shift from a consciousness of our sin to a consciousness of the righteousness of God.

And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. 1 Corinthians 15:49 (NKJV)

We shall also bear the image of Jesus. There's freedom in knowing that God chose to love us. It wasn't a mistake. It wasn't a situation-ship. Jesus didn't happen to have been on earth and suddenly think, "oh, they need salvation." He came to earth to show us a love greater than what we have ever experienced. He came to show a love that is sacrificial.

Jesus had to leave the comfort of heaven to take on the lowly state of man. The condition of an unsaved person is very terrible. I say this not to make anyone feel bad. I say this in all truth. I have been unsaved before and I know the kind of wickedness I was capable of.

God's love is merciful and draws us to Himself. There's nothing more beautiful than receiving the highest kind of love that there is. The only true love. The divine love of our maker.

God's love is everlasting

The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying:
"Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
4 Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
You shall again be adorned with your tambourines,
And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. Jeremiah 31:3-4 (NKJV)

God's love knows no end. It knows no bounds. It knows no limits. God loved us yesterday. He loves us today. And He will love us forever. God's love draws us to Himself. And that's what heals us.

If we've had a rough life, there's healing in the love that God shows us. And this love is the same love with which we are to love others. What we receive from God, is what we are to give to others. God's love can be seen through people. People aren't so bad. Trust me. Bad as some people are. There are many believers with hearts that are pure. And I have had such a wonderful experience in knowing some.

I never would have known Jesus without experiencing the love of God through a person.

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:12 (NKJV)

We now know what divine love is. Jesus then wants us to love others as He loves us. Have you ever received an uncommon kind of love from someone you didn't know? Well, you can choose to love others to the very same degree that God loves you. Is it really possible to love others with the love of God? Yes!

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5 (NKJV)

The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Another thing we learn here is that it is impossible to truly love without the help of the Holy Spirit. People can hurt us. People can mistrust us. And a lot of our experiences can hinder us from giving out this kind of love.

Like Jesus, we have to choose. The human soul was never designed to harbor resentment or feelings of strong hatred. We have been designed to receive love and to give love. And in most cases, that's what brings healing to the soul of a person.

People who feel unwanted already have the consciousness of being discarded by people. And their expectation is usually in those lines. But when we choose to love unconditionally with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can be transmitters of healing.

Prayer

Father, we thank you. We are grateful. We are appreciative of your great love. Lord, we just want to magnify your holy name. May you help us to receive your love. Lord, may you break down all kinds of barriers that hinder us from receiving this great love. Help us to also send out your divine love. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen

Note: Hi wonderful readers. Thank you for reading. God bless you. Shalom.