An Illustration of God's Love

An Illustration of God's Love

We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:19 NIV

I was watching a television show where a mother and son were in the police department of a small town. The son was tearfully confessing to a vigilante killing, theft and an attempt to frame someone else for the murder. And as he sobbed his mother responded, "You are the love of my life, I love you son." The child responded, "I am a murderer and I don't deserve to be called your son." She sobbed and said, "You are my son and I love you."

Does this not look like God's love for us? Some of the more arrogant among us would say that we are better than or not as bad as a murderer. But the reality is that we have all fallen short of God's standards (Romans 3:23). We have all offended the righteousness of God and deserve hell-fire and brimstone, for eternity. And yet, God's response to our sin is to bludgeon His son, nail him to a cross and turn His back on him (Matthew 27:46). After we have done, said and thought enough things to be ushered right out of God's presence, He instead holds us close, looks us in the eye and whispers, "You are mine, and I love you."

In my opinion, love is not inherent, but is something learned. A person can learn to love incorrectly or in a twisted way that may seem well and good, but ultimately leaves a trail of false emotional connections to things that God does not accept nor approve. Now if a person learned love from God, then love presents itself in a way that is not self serving, breaks down barriers, lifts the lowly and restores the broken, even the worst of us.