September 28
Love Begins Here
1 John 4:7-12
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8
I once asked an atheist friend, “Why do you believe there is no God?”
He answered, “Believing in God is illogical. You can’t see, smell, taste, touch, or hear Him. How can you believe in something that can’t be verified by any of your senses?”
I said, “Lots of things exist that you can’t verify with your five senses.”
“Like what?”
We were in a high school cafeteria, getting ready for an athletic awards ceremony. “Like love,” I responded. “Every person here came to celebrate someone they love.”
You can’t see, smell, taste, touch, or hear love, but it may be the most powerful phenomenon in the world.
Love is the most sung-about subject of all times.
Diana Ross sang, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.”
The Bee Gees added, “Love makes the world go ‘round.”
And John Lennon claimed, “All you need is love.”
Diana might be right. With AI at our fingertips, lightning-fast communications, robots aiding in our manufacturing, and agricultural output outpacing population growth, we’re awfully close to having everything we need - except love.
We’re not likely to change that any time soon. But over these next 30 days, it’s possible we can significantly increase the love quotient in our little slice of the world.
Noticing Others
Imagine for a minute, walking through your nearest grocery store. In every aisle, someone smiles at you. In fact, everyone smiles at you. A man reaches an item on the top shelf that’s a little high for you. A lady sees your handful of items and says, “Please, go ahead of me.” The teenager just in front of you helps load your items onto the conveyor. The cashier hands you flowers with your receipt, to brighten your day.
Love has some complexities, but in its simplest form, it’s just noticing others and putting their needs before your own.
The Bible says, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4).
Noticing others, and doing things to enhance their lives, is the most basic action of love. Learning about it and getting better at it is what these 30 days are all about.
I once asked an atheist friend, “Why do you believe there is no God?”
He answered, “Believing in God is illogical. You can’t see, smell, taste, touch, or hear Him. How can you believe in something that can’t be verified by any of your senses?”
I said, “Lots of things exist that you can’t verify with your five senses.”
“Like what?”
We were in a high school cafeteria, getting ready for an athletic awards ceremony. “Like love,” I responded. “Every person here came to celebrate someone they love.”
You can’t see, smell, taste, touch, or hear love, but it may be the most powerful phenomenon in the world.
Love is the most sung-about subject of all times.
Diana Ross sang, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.”
The Bee Gees added, “Love makes the world go ‘round.”
And John Lennon claimed, “All you need is love.”
Diana might be right. With AI at our fingertips, lightning-fast communications, robots aiding in our manufacturing, and agricultural output outpacing population growth, we’re awfully close to having everything we need - except love.
We’re not likely to change that any time soon. But over these next 30 days, it’s possible we can significantly increase the love quotient in our little slice of the world.
Noticing Others
Imagine for a minute, walking through your nearest grocery store. In every aisle, someone smiles at you. In fact, everyone smiles at you. A man reaches an item on the top shelf that’s a little high for you. A lady sees your handful of items and says, “Please, go ahead of me.” The teenager just in front of you helps load your items onto the conveyor. The cashier hands you flowers with your receipt, to brighten your day.
Love has some complexities, but in its simplest form, it’s just noticing others and putting their needs before your own.
The Bible says, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4).
Noticing others, and doing things to enhance their lives, is the most basic action of love. Learning about it and getting better at it is what these 30 days are all about.
September 29
Noticing Others
Luke 10:33-35
…a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’ Luke 10:33-35
Someone once asked Jesus, “What does it look like to love my neighbor as myself?” In response, Jesus told The Parable of the Good Samaritan. It’s about a man who gets robbed and beaten and is ignored by the two types of men you would expect to help him: a priest and a Levite. In fairness, both of them worked in the Temple. Mosaic Law forbade them to touch a dead body. If they did, they would be prohibited from entering the Temple for six weeks. Without getting close, they couldn’t tell if the man was dead or alive, so they each “passed by on the other side” of the road.
Finally, a type of man you would expect not to help him comes by: a Samaritan – a half-Jew/half-Gentile with heretical theology. This unlikely fellow stops. And helps. He bandages the man’s wounds and hoists him onto his own donkey. He pays an innkeeper to house and look after him. This is Jesus’ story of what it looks like to love.
Yesterday we gave a simple definition of love: noticing others and making their lives better.
Jesus’ first two characters (the priest and the Levite) noticed the beaten man, but they chose not to help him. The Samaritan noticed and helped.
Something for you and me to notice is the circumstances of the priest, Levite, and Samaritan. All three of them were going about their normal lives when they came across the beaten man. They all had things to do and people to see. The beaten man was not on anybody’s agenda.
Watch your life today, and notice how many people you encounter who are not on your agenda. Notice them. Look at their faces. How do they seem to be doing? Is there a way you might be able to help make their life better?
If that’s too tall an assignment for just the second day of our adventure, start with something easier. Instead of noticing everyone you don’t know, just concentrate on noticing the people you already do know. And by “notice,” I mean, really notice them. Pay attention to them when they’re speaking. Ask them questions to see how they’re doing. Listen to both their words and their non-verbals. How is this person doing, really?
With each encounter, ask yourself, “How might I make this person’s life better?” Can I say something to encourage them? Pray for a need they’ve expressed? Offer a promise from Scripture? Volunteer to do whatever it is they need done right now?
Then, for at least one of today’s scheduled meetings, do some advance work. Think of some way you can bless them before you even meet up with them. Bring flowers. Or fruit. Or a compliment. Or an invitation to do something with you that could be life-giving, like a walk on the beach, or a drive up the mountain.
An Admission
As I anticipate this assignment for myself, I’m fairly certain I’m going to fail. I’m task-oriented, and easily distracted. So here’s what I’m going to do, just today: I’m going to set an alarm on my phone to go off quietly every half hour. I’m going to use that quiet alarm to remind me of what I want to do today, which is notice the person in front of me.
Someone once asked Jesus, “What does it look like to love my neighbor as myself?” In response, Jesus told The Parable of the Good Samaritan. It’s about a man who gets robbed and beaten and is ignored by the two types of men you would expect to help him: a priest and a Levite. In fairness, both of them worked in the Temple. Mosaic Law forbade them to touch a dead body. If they did, they would be prohibited from entering the Temple for six weeks. Without getting close, they couldn’t tell if the man was dead or alive, so they each “passed by on the other side” of the road.
Finally, a type of man you would expect not to help him comes by: a Samaritan – a half-Jew/half-Gentile with heretical theology. This unlikely fellow stops. And helps. He bandages the man’s wounds and hoists him onto his own donkey. He pays an innkeeper to house and look after him. This is Jesus’ story of what it looks like to love.
Yesterday we gave a simple definition of love: noticing others and making their lives better.
Jesus’ first two characters (the priest and the Levite) noticed the beaten man, but they chose not to help him. The Samaritan noticed and helped.
Something for you and me to notice is the circumstances of the priest, Levite, and Samaritan. All three of them were going about their normal lives when they came across the beaten man. They all had things to do and people to see. The beaten man was not on anybody’s agenda.
Watch your life today, and notice how many people you encounter who are not on your agenda. Notice them. Look at their faces. How do they seem to be doing? Is there a way you might be able to help make their life better?
If that’s too tall an assignment for just the second day of our adventure, start with something easier. Instead of noticing everyone you don’t know, just concentrate on noticing the people you already do know. And by “notice,” I mean, really notice them. Pay attention to them when they’re speaking. Ask them questions to see how they’re doing. Listen to both their words and their non-verbals. How is this person doing, really?
With each encounter, ask yourself, “How might I make this person’s life better?” Can I say something to encourage them? Pray for a need they’ve expressed? Offer a promise from Scripture? Volunteer to do whatever it is they need done right now?
Then, for at least one of today’s scheduled meetings, do some advance work. Think of some way you can bless them before you even meet up with them. Bring flowers. Or fruit. Or a compliment. Or an invitation to do something with you that could be life-giving, like a walk on the beach, or a drive up the mountain.
An Admission
As I anticipate this assignment for myself, I’m fairly certain I’m going to fail. I’m task-oriented, and easily distracted. So here’s what I’m going to do, just today: I’m going to set an alarm on my phone to go off quietly every half hour. I’m going to use that quiet alarm to remind me of what I want to do today, which is notice the person in front of me.
September 30
The Bible’s Words for Love
Jeremiah 31:3
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you. Jeremiah 31:3
Now that we’ve gotten an up-close glimpse of what love really is (noticing others and making their lives better), let’s back away for a minute and look at the big picture.
The Bible is a book about the love of God. It opens with God in relationship with Himself as Father, Son, and Spirit. He’s creating a universe so that He can place humans in it (Genesis 1:27), and love them. The humans fail, so God saves them (John 3:17). The Bible closes with God creating a new and perfect place for His beloved (Revelation 22).
From front to back, the Bible is the story of a God who loves human beings unconditionally, repeatedly showing and telling us about His love.
Love in The Old Testament
During the days of the prophet Jeremiah, the people of Israel are facing a ruthless enemy who is coming to destroy their civilization. People are terrified. What will become of them? How will their children survive? What will happen to their nation?
As they cry out, God answers:
This is what the Lord says:
I will certainly restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
and show compassion on his dwellings.
Every city will be rebuilt on its mound;
every citadel will stand on its proper site (Jeremiah 30:18).
Dig into the behavior of Israel during this time period and you’ll see that they deserve what’s coming. Even so, God promises to restore their fortunes once their judgment has been served.
Why would God restore them? According to His own words: I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you (Jeremiah 31:3).
The pages of the Old Testament Prophets are filled with stories and promises like that.
Love in The New Testament
Looking at God’s actions throughout the Old Testament, the Apostle Paul concludes, I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).
The Story of the Bible
Some have called the Bible, “God’s love letter.” It contains 66 books, divided into 1,189 chapters. The word, “love” appears 766 times in the Christian Standard Bible. That’s a reference, on average, every chapter and a half.
When God wrote His love letter, He used Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New. Both languages are more precise than English. Where we have one word for “love,” Hebrew has four words and Greek has three.
The Hebrew Words
Aheb/Ahavah is Hebrew’s most common word for love. It means love between people, romantic love, and God's love for humanity. It implies a chosen, willed commitment to another, not just feeling. It's the word used in Deuteronomy 6:5 — Love the Lord your God with all your heart.
Hesed is my favorite Hebrew word for love. It means lovingkindness, steadfast love, mercy, or covenant loyalty. It’s such a great word because it describes God’s special love for His covenant people, Israel. His faithful and enduring love. Hesed may be the most theologically rich word in the Old Testament. It's the word used in Jeremiah 31:3.
Dod is the word for romantic and affectionate love. It’s primarily used in The Song of Solomon and means warm, tender, and intimate love.
Racham carries the meaning of deep, tender compassion — the instinctive, nurturing love a mother has for her child. It's derived from the root word for womb (rechem), and often translated compassion or mercy. God uses this word to describe His own feelings toward Israel in Isaiah 49:15. Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you.
The Greek Words
The New Testament’s primary word for love is agape. It describes an unconditional, self-sacrificial, willed love. Agape is not based on the worthiness of the recipient or on feeling, but on a deliberate choice to seek another's highest good. This is the word John uses in 1 John 4:8 when he says, God is love. It is the love of the cross. Agape loves regardless of response, cost, or merit.
Greek’s second word for love is phileo. Phileo refers to love between close friends or family members. It carries emotional warmth and fondness. William Penn, who wanted to create a place where people genuinely cared for each other, named the capital of the colony "Philadelphia," which means “city of brotherly love.”
Greek’s third word is storge. It describes familial love, particularly the instinctive affection between parents and children. It's the love that doesn't need to be chosen or cultivated; it simply belongs by nature of the relationship. Storge only shows up three times in the New Testament. Twice negatively, and once positively. Romans 1:31 lists the characteristics of people who have rejected God: without love (astorgos), unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good. 2 Timothy 3:3 describes the marks of people in the last days: without love (astorgos), unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good. And positively, Romans 12:10 commands we… Be devoted to one another in love (philostorgos). Honor one another above yourselves.
Speed-read or glance through the 1,189 chapters of Scripture and you’ll find that God's love is not reactive, it initiates, it’s unconditional, and it pursues us. God doesn't love because we are lovable; we are lovable because God loves us.
Let’s pray about it:
Lord, I’m beginning to see how important love is! Thank You for showing me that giving love is the central purpose of my life, because it’s the certain purpose of Yours. Help me today to keep on noticing people and enhancing their lives, like You do mine. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you. Jeremiah 31:3
Now that we’ve gotten an up-close glimpse of what love really is (noticing others and making their lives better), let’s back away for a minute and look at the big picture.
The Bible is a book about the love of God. It opens with God in relationship with Himself as Father, Son, and Spirit. He’s creating a universe so that He can place humans in it (Genesis 1:27), and love them. The humans fail, so God saves them (John 3:17). The Bible closes with God creating a new and perfect place for His beloved (Revelation 22).
From front to back, the Bible is the story of a God who loves human beings unconditionally, repeatedly showing and telling us about His love.
Love in The Old Testament
During the days of the prophet Jeremiah, the people of Israel are facing a ruthless enemy who is coming to destroy their civilization. People are terrified. What will become of them? How will their children survive? What will happen to their nation?
As they cry out, God answers:
This is what the Lord says:
I will certainly restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
and show compassion on his dwellings.
Every city will be rebuilt on its mound;
every citadel will stand on its proper site (Jeremiah 30:18).
Dig into the behavior of Israel during this time period and you’ll see that they deserve what’s coming. Even so, God promises to restore their fortunes once their judgment has been served.
Why would God restore them? According to His own words: I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you (Jeremiah 31:3).
The pages of the Old Testament Prophets are filled with stories and promises like that.
Love in The New Testament
Looking at God’s actions throughout the Old Testament, the Apostle Paul concludes, I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).
The Story of the Bible
Some have called the Bible, “God’s love letter.” It contains 66 books, divided into 1,189 chapters. The word, “love” appears 766 times in the Christian Standard Bible. That’s a reference, on average, every chapter and a half.
When God wrote His love letter, He used Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New. Both languages are more precise than English. Where we have one word for “love,” Hebrew has four words and Greek has three.
The Hebrew Words
Aheb/Ahavah is Hebrew’s most common word for love. It means love between people, romantic love, and God's love for humanity. It implies a chosen, willed commitment to another, not just feeling. It's the word used in Deuteronomy 6:5 — Love the Lord your God with all your heart.
Hesed is my favorite Hebrew word for love. It means lovingkindness, steadfast love, mercy, or covenant loyalty. It’s such a great word because it describes God’s special love for His covenant people, Israel. His faithful and enduring love. Hesed may be the most theologically rich word in the Old Testament. It's the word used in Jeremiah 31:3.
Dod is the word for romantic and affectionate love. It’s primarily used in The Song of Solomon and means warm, tender, and intimate love.
Racham carries the meaning of deep, tender compassion — the instinctive, nurturing love a mother has for her child. It's derived from the root word for womb (rechem), and often translated compassion or mercy. God uses this word to describe His own feelings toward Israel in Isaiah 49:15. Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you.
The Greek Words
The New Testament’s primary word for love is agape. It describes an unconditional, self-sacrificial, willed love. Agape is not based on the worthiness of the recipient or on feeling, but on a deliberate choice to seek another's highest good. This is the word John uses in 1 John 4:8 when he says, God is love. It is the love of the cross. Agape loves regardless of response, cost, or merit.
Greek’s second word for love is phileo. Phileo refers to love between close friends or family members. It carries emotional warmth and fondness. William Penn, who wanted to create a place where people genuinely cared for each other, named the capital of the colony "Philadelphia," which means “city of brotherly love.”
Greek’s third word is storge. It describes familial love, particularly the instinctive affection between parents and children. It's the love that doesn't need to be chosen or cultivated; it simply belongs by nature of the relationship. Storge only shows up three times in the New Testament. Twice negatively, and once positively. Romans 1:31 lists the characteristics of people who have rejected God: without love (astorgos), unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good. 2 Timothy 3:3 describes the marks of people in the last days: without love (astorgos), unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good. And positively, Romans 12:10 commands we… Be devoted to one another in love (philostorgos). Honor one another above yourselves.
Speed-read or glance through the 1,189 chapters of Scripture and you’ll find that God's love is not reactive, it initiates, it’s unconditional, and it pursues us. God doesn't love because we are lovable; we are lovable because God loves us.
Let’s pray about it:
Lord, I’m beginning to see how important love is! Thank You for showing me that giving love is the central purpose of my life, because it’s the certain purpose of Yours. Help me today to keep on noticing people and enhancing their lives, like You do mine. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
October 1
God is Love
1 John 4:16
God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 1 John 4:16
“God is love,” may be the simplest and most important truth in the Bible. Everything God does is loving. Even when He says, “no,” He does so with your best interests in mind.
Yesterday we learned that the New Testament’s primary word for love is “agape.” It’s love, a choice made by the lover about the love-e. Prior to Christianity, Greek-speakers used the word agape as a word for general affection or preference. Christianity needed a word that captured the idea of divine, self-sacrificial, and unconditional love. There was no word in current usage that adequately fit that definition, so agape was repurposed.
When John says, “God is love” (agape), he’s describing an idea not based on the worthiness of the recipient, or on feeling, but on a deliberate choice to seek another's highest good. Agape loves regardless of response, merit, or cost.
This is our God: the One who loves regardless of how we respond, based on nothing we’ve done to earn it, and in spite of what it costs Him personally.
Think of your children, or of the person you adore most in this world. Even they rub you the wrong way from time to time. Usually we choose to love them because they’re in close relationship with us. That’s phileo love. We love them because they’re related to us.
Your self-centered way of seeing things rubs God the wrong way every time it rears its head. God loves you in spite of your selfish ways. He agapes you, not because you’re a great prize, but because agape is core to His nature.
He’s more than agape.
Of course, God is more than agape. He is also holy, and just, and righteous, and all that is beautiful and good. None of these qualities conflict with his agape-ness. They are all integrated together. Even God’s wrath is part of His agape towards us.
This is worth pausing to think about. All of God’s divine qualities are unified together in what can only be called “perfection.” This God wants always, only and ever the best for you and all His creations.
He never changes.
The Bible says that Jesus (who is also God) is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Which means that at every moment you are unconditionally loved by Him, and you never have to worry that this will change.
Suppose for a second that our world is inhabited by a “god” who changes his feelings towards you every once in a while. Image what might happen if tomorrow morning, say, for just a nanosecond, this “god” decided on a whim to do something wicked, childish, or spiteful? Maybe he’d slow the world’s spin for a half a second, so we’d all fall down like when you’re standing in the aisle of a train and its conductor suddenly pumps the brakes. Maybe he’d reverse the flow of the rivers for a few hours, causing upstream floods and contamination. Living in a world with such a divine being would be unpredictable, unsafe, and lead to paranoia about what might happen next.
If God is loving even only 99.9% of the time, then everything we believe about the nature of the wind and waves and the very atoms we’re made of becomes a subject for worry.
He’s completely agape.
Or consider another scenario. Suppose we were governed by a “god” who isn’t fully loving, but only 99.9% loving?
This “god” wouldn’t love you completely, only partially. He’d never act purely out of love, but always with a very slightly mixed motive.
Once again we’d be faced with a world where we couldn’t know what we’re being handed. Everything we would experience would be tainted by the slightest amount of something other than love. Maybe divine distain. Or God-centered greed. Or some other form of self-serving. That world would breed insanity. You’d never be able to trust that what you’re receiving isn’t setting you up for a disaster, or doesn’t have a hidden “gotcha” at the end of it.
We exist for Him, not vice versa.
Now, to be clear, everything in existence was created by God, for His glory. You were created for God’s pleasure. Your central purpose is to honor Him and reflect His magnificence back to Him. Nothing that has been made was made for its own self-aggrandizement or pleasure. It’s all for Him. But, because the God who made this world for Himself is all loving, every atom of it receives His loving attention and intention at every moment.
Application
The Apostle John, who had lived a long life by the time he wrote the letter of 1 John, described from personal experience how we ought to respond to the knowledge that God is love. He said the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him (1 John 4:16b). In other words, in every moment that you act towards others the way God acts towards you (by noticing them, and acting in their best interest) you are fully participating in the life of God, and He is fully participating in your life.
Summary
In your quest to become a better lover, these three thoughts will help you, if you keep them at the front of your mind today are:
Pray this out loud:
I love You Lord, because You first loved me. Thank You for always loving me, both in my best moments, and in my worst. Thank You for never failing to love me. Today I’m going to do my best to tell You repeatedly that I love You. Please help me love the people around me today better than I did yesterday. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“God is love,” may be the simplest and most important truth in the Bible. Everything God does is loving. Even when He says, “no,” He does so with your best interests in mind.
Yesterday we learned that the New Testament’s primary word for love is “agape.” It’s love, a choice made by the lover about the love-e. Prior to Christianity, Greek-speakers used the word agape as a word for general affection or preference. Christianity needed a word that captured the idea of divine, self-sacrificial, and unconditional love. There was no word in current usage that adequately fit that definition, so agape was repurposed.
When John says, “God is love” (agape), he’s describing an idea not based on the worthiness of the recipient, or on feeling, but on a deliberate choice to seek another's highest good. Agape loves regardless of response, merit, or cost.
This is our God: the One who loves regardless of how we respond, based on nothing we’ve done to earn it, and in spite of what it costs Him personally.
Think of your children, or of the person you adore most in this world. Even they rub you the wrong way from time to time. Usually we choose to love them because they’re in close relationship with us. That’s phileo love. We love them because they’re related to us.
Your self-centered way of seeing things rubs God the wrong way every time it rears its head. God loves you in spite of your selfish ways. He agapes you, not because you’re a great prize, but because agape is core to His nature.
He’s more than agape.
Of course, God is more than agape. He is also holy, and just, and righteous, and all that is beautiful and good. None of these qualities conflict with his agape-ness. They are all integrated together. Even God’s wrath is part of His agape towards us.
This is worth pausing to think about. All of God’s divine qualities are unified together in what can only be called “perfection.” This God wants always, only and ever the best for you and all His creations.
He never changes.
The Bible says that Jesus (who is also God) is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Which means that at every moment you are unconditionally loved by Him, and you never have to worry that this will change.
Suppose for a second that our world is inhabited by a “god” who changes his feelings towards you every once in a while. Image what might happen if tomorrow morning, say, for just a nanosecond, this “god” decided on a whim to do something wicked, childish, or spiteful? Maybe he’d slow the world’s spin for a half a second, so we’d all fall down like when you’re standing in the aisle of a train and its conductor suddenly pumps the brakes. Maybe he’d reverse the flow of the rivers for a few hours, causing upstream floods and contamination. Living in a world with such a divine being would be unpredictable, unsafe, and lead to paranoia about what might happen next.
If God is loving even only 99.9% of the time, then everything we believe about the nature of the wind and waves and the very atoms we’re made of becomes a subject for worry.
He’s completely agape.
Or consider another scenario. Suppose we were governed by a “god” who isn’t fully loving, but only 99.9% loving?
This “god” wouldn’t love you completely, only partially. He’d never act purely out of love, but always with a very slightly mixed motive.
Once again we’d be faced with a world where we couldn’t know what we’re being handed. Everything we would experience would be tainted by the slightest amount of something other than love. Maybe divine distain. Or God-centered greed. Or some other form of self-serving. That world would breed insanity. You’d never be able to trust that what you’re receiving isn’t setting you up for a disaster, or doesn’t have a hidden “gotcha” at the end of it.
We exist for Him, not vice versa.
Now, to be clear, everything in existence was created by God, for His glory. You were created for God’s pleasure. Your central purpose is to honor Him and reflect His magnificence back to Him. Nothing that has been made was made for its own self-aggrandizement or pleasure. It’s all for Him. But, because the God who made this world for Himself is all loving, every atom of it receives His loving attention and intention at every moment.
Application
The Apostle John, who had lived a long life by the time he wrote the letter of 1 John, described from personal experience how we ought to respond to the knowledge that God is love. He said the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him (1 John 4:16b). In other words, in every moment that you act towards others the way God acts towards you (by noticing them, and acting in their best interest) you are fully participating in the life of God, and He is fully participating in your life.
Summary
In your quest to become a better lover, these three thoughts will help you, if you keep them at the front of your mind today are:
- I live in a world governed by an amazing God who loves me purely, in every moment.
- I was made by the amazing God to love Him purely, in every moment.
- I am commissioned by this amazing God to love the people around me in every moment today.
Pray this out loud:
I love You Lord, because You first loved me. Thank You for always loving me, both in my best moments, and in my worst. Thank You for never failing to love me. Today I’m going to do my best to tell You repeatedly that I love You. Please help me love the people around me today better than I did yesterday. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
October 2
God Loves the World
John 3:1-17
For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
If you’re wanting to learn about the love of God, you can’t find a teacher than His Son.
Early in Jesus’ ministry, a prominent Pharisee knocked on His door, looking for answers.
“Rabbi,” he said, “you must be a teacher sent from God, because no one could do what you’re doing unless God is with him.”
It was a polite way of saying, “Share your wisdom with me. I want to know more.”
Cutting straight to what’s most important, Jesus replied, “Nicodemus, there’s exactly one thing you must do to see the kingdom of God, you must be born again” (John 3:3).
This is new news to Nicodemus. From childhood he’s been taught that the Jews are God’s chosen people. If you’re born Jewish, you’re chosen. You don’t have to do anything to gain eternal life. Jesus opens his eyes to a new way of seeing, and he wants this rich life this Rabbi is offering.
“Tell me more,” he says. “How can I be born again? I’m too big to fit back in my mother’s womb” (John 3:4).
In response, Jesus patiently explains what Christians call, “The mystery of the new birth.”
“In order to be born into the physical world, you need a physical birth. In order to be born into the spiritual world, you need a spiritual birth. The two are different. Both are necessary” (John 3:5-8).
“Are you sure about this?” asks the Pharisee (John 3:9).
“Yes. I know what I’m talking about. I’ve come from heaven, and I’ll return there one day soon. Do you remember the story of Moses (from Numbers 21), when the children of Israel were bitten by snakes? Moses lifted up a snake on a pole so that anyone afflicted by a snakebite could look at that pole and cured from the venom in his system. One day I’m going to be lifted up on a pole, and because of that, anyone who looks to me for salvation will be granted it” (John 3:11-15).
Nicodemus gives Him a look like, “Really?”
“Yes really.”
Then Jesus delivers the iconic explanation that has been passed down to us on posters, billboards and sermons: “God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
In one single sentence, Jesus identifies…
- the object of God’s love: the world.
- And the scope of God’s love: the whole world.
- And the recipients of God’s love: whoever will believe.
- And the intention of God’s love: that no one will perish.
- And the duration of God’s love: forever.
In the next verse, Jesus delivers a second sentence that deserves more attention than it gets. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:17).
Read up on what the first century world was like. It had wars, abuse, slavery, and every other hurtful thing people could do to each other. People were doing terrible things. Much like today.
God didn’t send Jesus into the world to condemn it; it was already condemned by all those terrible things. Instead, and almost unbelievably, because of His inexhaustible love, God sent Jesus to pay for all those terrible things, in spite of all their terribleness.
Someone has labeled the seven actions of John 3:16 this way:
God -The Almighty Authority
So loved the world -The Mighty Motive
That He gave His only Son -The Greatest Gift
That whoever -The Widest Welcome
Believes in Him - The Easiest Escape
Will not perish -The Divine Deliverance
But have everlasting life -The Priceless Privilege
This is the story of the love of our God.
Pray this:
Lord Jesus, I’m one of those “whoevers” You came for! I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came into this world, lived a sinless life, and were lifted up on the Cross to die a substitutionary death for my sins. I trust in Your sin-payment for me, and I thank You for Your love for me. You’re the only God I’ll ever want, need or worship. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
If you’re wanting to learn about the love of God, you can’t find a teacher than His Son.
Early in Jesus’ ministry, a prominent Pharisee knocked on His door, looking for answers.
“Rabbi,” he said, “you must be a teacher sent from God, because no one could do what you’re doing unless God is with him.”
It was a polite way of saying, “Share your wisdom with me. I want to know more.”
Cutting straight to what’s most important, Jesus replied, “Nicodemus, there’s exactly one thing you must do to see the kingdom of God, you must be born again” (John 3:3).
This is new news to Nicodemus. From childhood he’s been taught that the Jews are God’s chosen people. If you’re born Jewish, you’re chosen. You don’t have to do anything to gain eternal life. Jesus opens his eyes to a new way of seeing, and he wants this rich life this Rabbi is offering.
“Tell me more,” he says. “How can I be born again? I’m too big to fit back in my mother’s womb” (John 3:4).
In response, Jesus patiently explains what Christians call, “The mystery of the new birth.”
“In order to be born into the physical world, you need a physical birth. In order to be born into the spiritual world, you need a spiritual birth. The two are different. Both are necessary” (John 3:5-8).
“Are you sure about this?” asks the Pharisee (John 3:9).
“Yes. I know what I’m talking about. I’ve come from heaven, and I’ll return there one day soon. Do you remember the story of Moses (from Numbers 21), when the children of Israel were bitten by snakes? Moses lifted up a snake on a pole so that anyone afflicted by a snakebite could look at that pole and cured from the venom in his system. One day I’m going to be lifted up on a pole, and because of that, anyone who looks to me for salvation will be granted it” (John 3:11-15).
Nicodemus gives Him a look like, “Really?”
“Yes really.”
Then Jesus delivers the iconic explanation that has been passed down to us on posters, billboards and sermons: “God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
In one single sentence, Jesus identifies…
- the object of God’s love: the world.
- And the scope of God’s love: the whole world.
- And the recipients of God’s love: whoever will believe.
- And the intention of God’s love: that no one will perish.
- And the duration of God’s love: forever.
In the next verse, Jesus delivers a second sentence that deserves more attention than it gets. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:17).
Read up on what the first century world was like. It had wars, abuse, slavery, and every other hurtful thing people could do to each other. People were doing terrible things. Much like today.
God didn’t send Jesus into the world to condemn it; it was already condemned by all those terrible things. Instead, and almost unbelievably, because of His inexhaustible love, God sent Jesus to pay for all those terrible things, in spite of all their terribleness.
Someone has labeled the seven actions of John 3:16 this way:
God -The Almighty Authority
So loved the world -The Mighty Motive
That He gave His only Son -The Greatest Gift
That whoever -The Widest Welcome
Believes in Him - The Easiest Escape
Will not perish -The Divine Deliverance
But have everlasting life -The Priceless Privilege
This is the story of the love of our God.
Pray this:
Lord Jesus, I’m one of those “whoevers” You came for! I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came into this world, lived a sinless life, and were lifted up on the Cross to die a substitutionary death for my sins. I trust in Your sin-payment for me, and I thank You for Your love for me. You’re the only God I’ll ever want, need or worship. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
October 3
The Prodigal Father
Luke 15:11-24
But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. Luke 15:20
Among His infinite talents, Jesus was a master storyteller.
On His march to Jerusalem, He told a story we know as “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” It should be called “The Parable of the Prodigal Father.” The word “prodigal” means “recklessly wasteful, extravagant.” This is the story of a father who loves unconditionally and extravagantly. If you want to understand the love of God, look no further than Luke 15.
“A man had two sons,” Jesus begins (Luke 15:11). “One day, the younger son asked him for his inheritance. So the father divided his assets between them” (Luke 15:12).
If you’ve heard the story, you know it doesn’t go well for this ne’re-do-well child. After spending everything on wine, women, and song, he finds himself feeding pigs in a faraway country (Luke 15:13-14).
Push pause on the story for a minute, for a little cultural background. The audience Jesus is addressing is made up of first century Middle Easterners. In that culture, children respected their parents above all else. No son would dare insult his father the way this son did. And no father would respond with the reckless extravagance this father did.
Asking for his inheritance was like saying, “Father, I wish you were dead.” Upon hearing the son’s request, Jesus’ audience knew exactly what would happen next: the father would beat the son for his insolence. To their shock and dismay, this father not only did not beat his son, he actually gave him his portion of the estate.
Of course, the boy’s portion of the estate wasn’t a cash settlement. Agrarian cultures kept their wealth in livestock and land. In order to turn these into cash, the boy would have to peddle his father’s cows, sheep, furniture, tools, and utensils to the townspeople – another unimaginable thing!
Middle Eastern culture is what sociologists call an “honor/shame culture.” Every action was built around upholding honor and avoiding shame. This boy was shaming his father in front of the whole village!
And Middle Easterner culture has a group identity. To insult one member of the village is to insult every member of the village. By the time this rascal was through liquidating his father’s hard-earned belongings, the entire town was talking about whipping and stoning him – or, at the very least, tarring and feathering him.
The boy leaves town and sets up residency in a nearby nation. Different people, but the same Middle Eastern values. They put up with him as he spreads his money around, but once it’s exhausted, they wanted nothing to do with him. No one would hire until finally, a farmer with a perverse sense of humor offers him a job feeding pigs (Luke 15:14-16).
It’s a job no Jew can accept. According to Jewish law (Leviticus 11:7-8), pigs are unclean animals. Jews were forbidden to touch them. And pigs have to be fed seven days a week. You can’t keep the Sabbath if you’re feeding pigs.
In the pit of his shame, the son comes to his senses. “Everyone who works for my dad has plenty to eat!” (Luke 15:17).
He decided to return home. On the road, he rehearses. “I’m going to say to my father, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers” (Luke 15:18-19).
Mile after mile he pictures himself reciting this speech while kneeling at his father’s feet.
Jesus says, “But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).
Pause again. Remember how the village felt about this boy as he was leaving town? They vowed to tar and feather him if he ever returned. The boy knows this. With each mile, as he rehearses his speech, he pictures the townspeople pelting him with stones, swearing, and spitting on him.
The father, too, knows that this is what will happen if the boy ever comes home. So every day, he watches. Should his son ever breach the horizon, he’s determined to get to him before the villagers can sound the alarm. One the day that head pops over the hill on road into town, the father does five things no Middle Eastern landowner would ever do (Luke 15:20-24).
1. He runs. This was against all etiquette. Aristotle said, “No great-souled man would ever run.” It was undignified. It showed he was not in control. And to run, you’d have to lift your robe. Lifting your robe would expose your ankles. Exposing your ankles like appearing naked in public.
2. He orders that the best robe be put on the boy’s back. The best robe was the father’s personal robe.
3. He commands that a ring be put on the boy’s finger. This would be the family signet ring, the one used to seal all official family documents, giving this son legal status to act once again in his father’s name.
4. He insists that sandals be put on the boy’s feet. In that culture, servants went barefoot. Only sons wore sandals.
5. He directs his servant to kill the fattened calf. In days before refrigeration, you only butchered enough meat to feed those who would be at your table. For two to four people, you’d kill a chicken. For ten to twenty, a goat. You only killed a calf if you intended to feed the whole village!
Remember what the son was expecting as he walked that long road home. He expected to be met with jeers and fists and rocks and spittle in his face. Instead, he found himself wrapped in the loving arms of his unconditionally-loving father, who was smothering him with kisses.
There is a Father in heaven, who loves you, and everyone you know, recklessly. Wastefully. Extravagantly. He is willing to humiliate Himself to have a relationship with you. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, or how you’ve treated Him. He simply loves you, beyond all rationality.
Pray this:
Heavenly Father, I can see that words fall short of describing how great Your love is for me, and all people. But this story gives me the picture. Thank You for loving me! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Among His infinite talents, Jesus was a master storyteller.
On His march to Jerusalem, He told a story we know as “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” It should be called “The Parable of the Prodigal Father.” The word “prodigal” means “recklessly wasteful, extravagant.” This is the story of a father who loves unconditionally and extravagantly. If you want to understand the love of God, look no further than Luke 15.
“A man had two sons,” Jesus begins (Luke 15:11). “One day, the younger son asked him for his inheritance. So the father divided his assets between them” (Luke 15:12).
If you’ve heard the story, you know it doesn’t go well for this ne’re-do-well child. After spending everything on wine, women, and song, he finds himself feeding pigs in a faraway country (Luke 15:13-14).
Push pause on the story for a minute, for a little cultural background. The audience Jesus is addressing is made up of first century Middle Easterners. In that culture, children respected their parents above all else. No son would dare insult his father the way this son did. And no father would respond with the reckless extravagance this father did.
Asking for his inheritance was like saying, “Father, I wish you were dead.” Upon hearing the son’s request, Jesus’ audience knew exactly what would happen next: the father would beat the son for his insolence. To their shock and dismay, this father not only did not beat his son, he actually gave him his portion of the estate.
Of course, the boy’s portion of the estate wasn’t a cash settlement. Agrarian cultures kept their wealth in livestock and land. In order to turn these into cash, the boy would have to peddle his father’s cows, sheep, furniture, tools, and utensils to the townspeople – another unimaginable thing!
Middle Eastern culture is what sociologists call an “honor/shame culture.” Every action was built around upholding honor and avoiding shame. This boy was shaming his father in front of the whole village!
And Middle Easterner culture has a group identity. To insult one member of the village is to insult every member of the village. By the time this rascal was through liquidating his father’s hard-earned belongings, the entire town was talking about whipping and stoning him – or, at the very least, tarring and feathering him.
The boy leaves town and sets up residency in a nearby nation. Different people, but the same Middle Eastern values. They put up with him as he spreads his money around, but once it’s exhausted, they wanted nothing to do with him. No one would hire until finally, a farmer with a perverse sense of humor offers him a job feeding pigs (Luke 15:14-16).
It’s a job no Jew can accept. According to Jewish law (Leviticus 11:7-8), pigs are unclean animals. Jews were forbidden to touch them. And pigs have to be fed seven days a week. You can’t keep the Sabbath if you’re feeding pigs.
In the pit of his shame, the son comes to his senses. “Everyone who works for my dad has plenty to eat!” (Luke 15:17).
He decided to return home. On the road, he rehearses. “I’m going to say to my father, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired workers” (Luke 15:18-19).
Mile after mile he pictures himself reciting this speech while kneeling at his father’s feet.
Jesus says, “But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).
Pause again. Remember how the village felt about this boy as he was leaving town? They vowed to tar and feather him if he ever returned. The boy knows this. With each mile, as he rehearses his speech, he pictures the townspeople pelting him with stones, swearing, and spitting on him.
The father, too, knows that this is what will happen if the boy ever comes home. So every day, he watches. Should his son ever breach the horizon, he’s determined to get to him before the villagers can sound the alarm. One the day that head pops over the hill on road into town, the father does five things no Middle Eastern landowner would ever do (Luke 15:20-24).
1. He runs. This was against all etiquette. Aristotle said, “No great-souled man would ever run.” It was undignified. It showed he was not in control. And to run, you’d have to lift your robe. Lifting your robe would expose your ankles. Exposing your ankles like appearing naked in public.
2. He orders that the best robe be put on the boy’s back. The best robe was the father’s personal robe.
3. He commands that a ring be put on the boy’s finger. This would be the family signet ring, the one used to seal all official family documents, giving this son legal status to act once again in his father’s name.
4. He insists that sandals be put on the boy’s feet. In that culture, servants went barefoot. Only sons wore sandals.
5. He directs his servant to kill the fattened calf. In days before refrigeration, you only butchered enough meat to feed those who would be at your table. For two to four people, you’d kill a chicken. For ten to twenty, a goat. You only killed a calf if you intended to feed the whole village!
Remember what the son was expecting as he walked that long road home. He expected to be met with jeers and fists and rocks and spittle in his face. Instead, he found himself wrapped in the loving arms of his unconditionally-loving father, who was smothering him with kisses.
There is a Father in heaven, who loves you, and everyone you know, recklessly. Wastefully. Extravagantly. He is willing to humiliate Himself to have a relationship with you. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, or how you’ve treated Him. He simply loves you, beyond all rationality.
Pray this:
Heavenly Father, I can see that words fall short of describing how great Your love is for me, and all people. But this story gives me the picture. Thank You for loving me! In Jesus’ name. Amen!