We all long to be loved. We search for it everywhere. We look for love in the people that are supposed to love us, whether we find it there or not. We go out of our way to serve others, we purchase thoughtful gifts for people, write love notes, and even do things we promised ourselves we would not do in hope for love. We desire an unwavering sense of belonging, and we need a stable foundation of love. In the midst of the chaos and disappointment surrounding us, the only place this kind of love can be found is in the One that is love.
In 1 John 4, we find that “God is love”. Love is the strong foundation and core of His character. It is in this love that He paved the way for each of us to come to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him. It is a perfect love, fully unconditional and never changing, much more than anyone on this earth could ever offer.
God’s love is immensely more than we can ever comprehend. Regardless of how many ways we try to understand and fully grasp his love, we will never be able to do it. It can be easy for us to try to fit God’s love in the box of our human brain and experiences in order to reach a conclusion about how God thinks, feels, and acts. Sometimes our conclusions are in line with scripture, and we believe the truths “He first loved us” (1 John 4:19) and nothing can “separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:39). Other times, our flesh rears its ugly head and convinces us that we’ve gone too far and done too much to receive his love and live loved. At these times, we find ourselves pushing God’s love down into a box and setting it aside like a gift not meant for us to open. When in reality, our names are written on the tag.
When the Lord descended on the tabernacle in the book of Exodus, his resting place was the ark of the covenant, a gold box in the Holy of Holies. The purpose of this gift was to provide a way for Israel’s sins to be atoned for and for the God of love to dwell among His people.
In the ultimate display of love, God again came to live with His people. This time, the gift was His son Jesus who was to be born and placed in the box of a manger. Jesus, the Messiah, grew to take on the sins of all and die a gruesome, sacrificial death.
His body was then placed in the box of the tomb, but the tomb could not hold him! He rose from the grave in victory so that all could experience the intimate love of God. Because of this, we do not have to wrestle and fight to encounter true belonging. We can live in the boundless love of God shared in Ephesians 3.
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
His love is wide, wide enough to cover any and all shortcomings and mistakes. His love is long, long enough to endure beside us on this journey of life. His love is high, high enough to reach down, pick us up, and welcome us into His presence. His love is deep, deep enough to penetrate our hearts and fill them until they overflow. This love is more than we can ever know, and it is more than we could ever need. I encourage you today to embrace, receive, and open the gift that is the incomprehensible love of God.
Can’t get enough of God's love? Join Daughter of the King Ministries this month for the “Month of Love” Challenge! Follow on Facebook or Instagram for posts on how God loves us and how we can love others.