When my children were young I once took our youngest two sons to a fastfood restaurant for lunch. They may have been 5 and 9. We were enjoying our sandwiches while talking. An elderly lady stopped by and said: "I've been sitting there watching how well you obeyed your mother. Now I would like to know, is it because you fear her or love her?"
Most humans and animals have a need for love. Love. Is a universal language crossing language and racial barriers. It breaks down walls and melts pre-conceived ideas. Love empowers, envisions and energies. Motivated by love, we endure , we sacrifice, we conquer, we lose ourselves.
To know God's love is what is life- changing. To know His love enable us to love as He loves. We cannot begin to love and accept ourselves without an experiential knowledge of God's love for us. Without love and acceptance for ourselves we cannot love and accept someone else. His love gives us worth. His love opens life to us. It brings us from a mere, grey existence into a place of living, vibrant light.
God is love, perfect love. He is motivated by love. He proved His love by sending Jesus as sacrifice for sin. This removed the obstacle of sin so that we now have access to God. We can have a relationship with Him. Perfect love drives away fear. Fear includes punishment. Fear makes stupid decisions. Even if we obey because of fear we are selfishly motivated. It is only when we are moved by love that we give ourselves unreservedly, unconditionally.
Sin hardens our hearts so that we become callous about the love of God. This affects our faith. Faith works through love. When we know that God so loved us that He sent Jesus, we believe and this faith brings eternal life. This great love with which He loves us, is the first step. Know, really know, that He loves you.
John 3:16, 1 John 4:7 - 5:3, Galatians 5:6, Romans 5:8, John 14:34-35, Rev 2:4
