Believing the Love God Has for You
Christianity is the only “religion” that portrays God as a loving Father that has been separated from His children and willing to do anything to be with them. I have made a decision to believe that God is greater than the best traits of mankind. In the midst of mankind’s selfishness and depravity we see residuals of self-sacrificing left over from what humanity was created for. The only reason any person ever prefers another over themselves is that they were created in the similitude of God. (Genesis 1:26) Imagine a race of beings that always preferred their fellow man to themselves. That was God’s intentions for mankind. That is still His intentions for mankind. However, humanity deserted God and now only shades and fading glimmers of His likeness are seen in people. God’s Love can restore those shadows and fading glimmers and provide the answer for all of humanity’s problems. Wars, crime, deceit, and poverty would all disappear. So what is the Love of God?
The Love of God is not a feeling or an attraction as exists between a man and a woman. God’s Love is a benevolence that prefers someone else in all things. We must know and believe this Love as written in God’s Word. 1 John 4:16 says, “And we have known and believed the Love that God has to us. God is Love and he that dwells in Love dwells in God and God in him.” To know the Love of God is to know Christ as your Savior. There is no greater demonstration of God’s Love than Him becoming a man and dying the death we were supposed to experience. He substituted Himself and took the wrath for us in the form of Jesus Christ. That’s why every other religion falls short. They cannot match God’s Love substitution. Notice that we are not only to know this Love but we are to believe the Love God has for us.
You will know what a person believes by the lifestyle they live. True belief will respond with life choices. To believe the Love of God is to walk with the benevolence that God has. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 clearly defines Love actions. For the sake of space let me summarize. Love is patient to the point of death, is kind, does not envy, is not prideful, is not rude, is not selfish, does not keep a record of wrongs, and always thinks the best of others. Imagine if everyone acted this way. The worlds’ problems would vanish away. There is just one catch; this kind of Love is only possible when you have realized that this is how God is treating you. When God gave Christ, He was proving how patient He is, how kind He is, and that He is not holding your sins against you anymore. Simply put, God is treating us better than we deserve. That’s why I live for Him. That’s why we act in His Love.
Pastor Tim
Family Church Jamestown is a non-denominational church located in Chautauqua County in Jamestown between Lakewood and Busti, NY. The senior pastor of Family Church is Pastor Tim Stahlman a native to the Jamestown, NY area.
