The Love of God

Over the past few weeks the song “The Love of God” has been deep in my heart and mind. Its chorus goes, “Oh love of God, how rich and pure, how measureless and strong, it shall forevermore endure, the saints and angels song.”

And while all three verses resonate with me, the last verse is something I’ve been singing over and over:

Could we with ink, the ocean fill

And were the skies of parchment made

Were every stalk on earth a quill

And every man a scribe by trade

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry

Nor could the scroll contain the whole

Though stretched from sky to sky

The message of God to man is a resounding, “I love you!” John writes (1 John 4:9, 10a), “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us…”

Paul writes (Romans 5:8), “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We are going to meet people today who do not know the love of God; will we share God’s love with them? God manifested His love by giving, we are called to manifest that same love by giving. As the Father sent Jesus so Jesus sends us. Will we go as Jesus goes?

As God in Christ gave Himself, so we are to give ourselves. We cannot love others without giving ourselves. We cannot love others without sacrificing ourselves. God’s love is a sacrificial love, He did not take shortcuts and neither can we.

Ponder the third verse of the above song; consider the height and depth and width and length of God’s love that passes all comprehension (Ephesians 3:14 – 21). Meditate on this third verse and then try not to share God’s love, I do not think it can be done – God’s love is all encompassing and overwhelming, and if we will allow the Niagara of His love to envelope us we cannot help but to share it with others.

God’s love should have the excitement of “first love” and the depth of “mature love” – when we are in love who cares what others think (in context). When we are in love we have joy, and yes we can have pain, for our senses and souls and perceptions are heightened. Love cried out in Gethsemane, and that same love touched the untouchable and loved the unlovable. What a calling to be allowed to participate in that love!

We are not here very long, some of us less than others, some more than most others. But however long we are here, and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, could there be anything higher or anything deeper or anything wider or anything longer than participating in the love of God toward others? To touch others with the love of God, to tell others of the love of God, to sacrifice ourselves so that others may know the love of God…