“By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.”

We cannot live in our spiritual life without the Lord. We cannot truly love the Lord and other people unless we are alive to God. Love is not naturally part of our behaviour, for we are selfish and must be taught love as we grow up. Some lose all sense of love and become totally taken up with themselves and their own agenda in life. The love of God is revealed to us, we must see it demonstrated if we are to know it or be it.

God has to show us what love is really like. He shows it to us daily through all the provision and blessings in our lives, mostly unnoticed and taken for granted. We all have a strong sense of entitlement, and don’t recognise our indebtedness to our Lord and God. Once we were taught to thank God for daily food and provision, but we are not encouraged to do that anymore. We should live in a mindset of thankfulness and be daily praying our gratitude to the Lord.

But it goes deeper than this. God sent Jesus as our Saviour to pay the terrible price for our sin, and even then we rejected Him. The human mind and heart are so opposed to God and we are so reticent to give our whole self back to Him and accept Jesus as our rightful God and Lord. We think we have self control and self fulfilment, but in reality we have nothing, and without the necessary repentance we live under condemnation.

“For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.”

John 3:17

It doesn’t have to be that way of condemnation, for the love of God is extraordinary in its scope and depth. God accepts all who come in repentance and faith and is willing to forgive all sin. Once we realise that and bow ourselves before Him, we get liberty and become part of His family! As we put our faith in Him, we are changed from dead souls to living souls.

God gives us spiritual life, which is a life that can relate to Him and makes us capable of loving God and other people. Without the change of heart, we do not have that gracious, sacrificial love for God or others. It is possible for humans to love like God, but we must give up ourselves and our sin to get it. Sometimes we can show the love of God and at times we revert to our selfish self. We must ask for this love, seek its likeness in our life and conform ourselves to God. It is a most treasured possession and the defining mark of someone in the family of God. Christians should be known as the most loving of people and people who are kind, generous and giving. Lack of love makes us small and mean and not like our Father in heaven.

Let us look to our Saviour and His attitude towards us while we were still sinners, He gave His life for us and suffered so deeply that we might be rescued from our sin and guilt. Should not we also lay down our life for His sake?

This is how God’s love is revealed in sinful people like us and turns us around and makes us loving and good.