Learning to be Love(d)

I've written a lot about how to love others and what God expects from us, but as the saying goes, "You can't pour from an empty cup." You must yourself be filled before you can be expected to fill others. This world is constantly changeable and unreliable to take care of this need for you. You can find joy in the love of other humans, less so in temporary joys, but you need a strong source of water to quench your thirst or you'll be running after puddles in search for satiety. There is only one source of love and joy strong enough to sustain you, only one that will never fade or disappear or change.

The desire for love is a spiritual thirst. It's one built in us by God. Let's start with some verses about God's love for us.

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations." Deuteronomy 7:9

"But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." Psalm 86:15

"Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 136:26

"The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another." John 15:9-17

"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7-8

These are some of the great multitude of verses in the Bible about God's love. Did you know the Bible mentions love, depending on the translation, between 419-766 times?

Here are some stumbling blocks that keep us from receiving God's love:

1)Some of us see God through our experiences with other people, so if we see Him as a father, we may think of our own dad, or if we think of Him as a friend, we think on our own friendships. Here's the thing: God is not human, and He's not a god in the sense of the Greek or Roman gods who stumble over their own feet and get caught up in mistakes and emotions. He is a perfect being, whose ongoing purpose is love. There's nothing and no one to compare Him to, and that leads us to the next point.

2)Don't be a stickler for legalism nor think that God is in any way. Oh, don't get me wrong. God is order in the chaos, and He has laws and ordinances. Unlike the Pharisees whom Jesus continually ridiculed, you shouldn't use the law as a weapon but as a tool and that includes toward yourself. There's the rule and there's the spirit behind the rule. For example, if you were told not to touch the cookie jar as a child, as your mother was cooking dinner, does that mean you'll never be able to touch the cookie jar? Does it mean you'll never have cookies again? No, the spirit behind her telling you that was because she didn't want you fill up on empty calories when she has something nutritious coming up soon. God's rules are foundations for the larger truth. Don't think of God as an authoritarian dictator ready to condemn you on every mistake. You may have had authority figures in the past who've acted that way, but God is not them. God is the ultimate leader.

3)Sometimes, we feel it's difficult to accept love because we have no sense of self-worth. God thought of you, knew you were going to make many mistakes, and made you anyway. He LOVES you the way you are, in all your unique quirky ways. He just wants the best for you. You're thinking, yeah but what about... yes, that too. God loves that part of you too. You are not what you do. You are not your sins. You are a beloved Child of God, which leads us to the last point.

4)You're not quite sure if you're saved or not. I used to think all the time that I really hoped I made it heaven cause death is scary, but I was never really sure if I would. Now, all alone, I'd definitely be sent to the fieriest parts of damnation, but we're talking about salvation here. Do you believe in God and love Him? Do you? If you can ask that as a yes, then yes you're saved. Let's not live our lives in doubt and fear. God isn't fear. He's saved you, and you should live knowing that with the utmost confidence. Now that you've put that behind you, live your life spreading the joy of your salvation.

So, what does it mean that God loves us? Let's ask God.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.'” Isaiah 43:2

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” Romans 8:28

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Revelation 21:4

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Isaiah 43:1-3

“If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up. In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul” Philippians 4:13

"The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” John 16:33

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 1 Peter 5:6-7

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Isaiah 43:2

“My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:5-8

Knowing God loves you is one thing, feeling it in your soul is quite another. Feel God's love for you as He will never let you go.

How Do I Know I'm Saved?

How do I know if I'm saved? What if I'm not good? What if I keep on sinning?

Before I was aware of the intricacies of salvation, I was afraid. In an earlier post, I wrote a testimony about my childhood experience of God "speaking" to me. There seem to be so many rules, especially when you focus on the old testament, and it overwhelmed me because I couldn't even remember them all. Forget following them. So, I asked God to give me anything I could remember, so no matter what I faced in life, I would know I was doing the right thing. I wasn't exactly expecting anything, but if I got a summary of His laws, it would probably be at least a paragraph. A single word came to mind:

love.

So, I set upon my Bible immediately, and it fell right to this verse:

"And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”

Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:34-40

Love here is the Greek ἀγαπήσεις, which means have preference for, wish well to, regard the welfare of, welcome with desire, or long for. (strongs)

It seemed impossible for a word to sum everything up, yet it's never proved itself wrong no matter what I've experienced so far in life. God is love, and it makes more and more sense as time passes by. So, what does this have to do with Salvation?

First thing you need to know is that salvation didn't start when Jesus came to Earth as man. If you say it was because he was good man, you're dead wrong.

"What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness . . . . Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. . . . Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all." (Romans 4:1–5, 9–10, 16)

No one has ever in the history of ever been saved because they were good enough, nor because they did enough good works to make up for sins, nor because they were able to completely stop sinning at some point in their life. Case in point: Abraham. Before there were Jews, Christians, or even the Israelite nation, there lived Abraham (aka Abram). We aren't told much about him before God called on him.

"The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him." Genesis 12:1-4

God was making Abraham promises before he took a single step. God chose Abraham before he'd done anything righteously noteworthy. Essentially, God was saying, have faith, believe in my promises, and I'll give them to you, and these were Earth-shaking promises. Abraham believed God. The next section, we see Abraham lying to a pharaoh and almost causing his wife to commit adultery or be raped. God saved her from this, but seriously, Abraham. He doesn't seem perfect to me. Then, he started worrying that God wasn't going to follow through with His promises when he and his wife grew old and childless. How would his children grow into a nation if he didn't have children? He started making plans to make a servant an heir. It says,

"Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness." Genesis 15:6

He had momentary doubts and worries, but he decided to continue having faith in God. So, God considered Abraham righteous. Did you see it say that Abraham did this great thing, he had a heart of gold, and stopped making mistakes, so God credited to him as righteousness? Nope. It said God considered Abraham righteous because he believed God. Abraham was saved. He was righteous. Because he had faith in God and His promises.

Let's rewind back to love.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Yep, it's the same word from Greek here. Do you notice that part of loving someone, including God, means you trust them? You can't love God and not trust Him. That is faith. He sees what we don't, and we won't always see the top of the staircase, even if we're called to walk up it. Abraham worried, too, what the next step would be because he couldn't see the top, and the staircase was getting a little lengthy.

Abraham loved God eventually, but it started with trust and faith. That's how he was saved.

I'm going to drag this out a little, forgive me, but I want to illustrate this further so you can fully understand.

God is called our father and we His children. Now, for those of you who have children or even someone you love a whole lot, picture this scenario.

Imagine y'all are walking along, and you see a sharp ravine. In the ravine are railroad tracks. You warn them to not get too close, but nevertheless, they suddenly slip and fall. It's too steep for them to climb themselves out and now there's a train bearing down, whistling a sharp note of warning. The only one who can save them is you. Do you:

1) Consider whether they have been good to you first

2) Reach out a saving hand for them to grab

I'm guessing for most of you with a heart, you'll grab them without a second thought. If you would do this, and you're a mere fallible human, don't you think the King of the Universe, God of love and light, would do at least this?

"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:9-13

When you fall from grace, God is the only one who can save you. He will save you, no questions asked. Also, consider this.

Imagine the same situation as before, and as you reach our your hand, your child/loved one refuses to take it. Imagine they turn their back. Imagine they try to climb up the side to save themselves despite your urgent cries. What do you feel? These are the unsaved. They refuse God. They don't trust Him. They don't believe in Him.

Now, imagine they refused but suddenly the train is at their back and they realize, last minute, they need your help. They finally blessedly take your hand in time for you to pull them to safety. Would you:

1) Consider the fact they refused and distrusted you up to this point and refuse them help for their last minute change of mind

2) Reach out and save them anyway

I've heard of some who believe a death-bed conversion is not a truly saved person. First, that's between the person and God. You can never know a person's heart like God does. Second, if they are converted, they are saved. They are still saved. God will still save them. If you would save your child or loved one in the above situation, more so will God.

Now, let's summarize. We aren't saved because we do good works. We do good works because we're saved. God changes us mind and soul, sends His Holy Spirit to guide us because we believe in Him. When God reaches out a hand, we take it. We trust He will save us. That is salvation. If we fall again into the ravine, God will come save us again and again. He doesn't wear out his forgiveness, and I doubt any of you would allow your loved one to die just because they are constantly falling into the ravine.

Now, is constantly falling a possible sign that someone doesn't actually have faith in God? Yes. He warned them, and they didn't believe Him. Or, they decide to live their life thinking God will forgive them in the end. They obviously don't actually love God.

You return again. None of us are perfect. That's the very reason we need God.

Please believe and love. Have faith in His words. He already loves you. He already believes in you. He already has His hand outstretched waiting to embrace you on the top of the ravine.




Sources other than Bible:
Strong's Concordance