Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 1 John 3:1

It would probably do us more good than we can imagine to stop and think just how much God loves us and how He shows His love each day. We should never take God's love for granted nor presume upon it for His love does not come by default, it comes by the blood shed on Calvary's cross. We surely do not deserve such love, especially since it appeared when we were not so lovable.

The church is one great means our Heavenly Father provides us to meditate upon His gracious, redeeming love. The most direct expression of our appreciation for the Lord's love is worshipping Him. This is what Sundays are for; to show our love for God and for one another. There are so many things, people and places that compete for our love and we need to take a break from all the passions that pull on us. Besides people, places and things will not and cannot love us like God does and most likely when push comes to shove, instead of loving us, they will leave us.

Maybe the best scenario for seeking and savoring the Lord our God is just to get off somewhere by ourselves and think about Jesus. The marriage relationship is the greatest expression of human love there is on earth and it involves only two characters, one man and one woman. Intimacy is not about numbers, it's about knowing you love one and one loves you. True love is realizing that even if nobody else loves us, God does. Furthermore, He always will, always has and He loves us on purpose. I do not know why nor can I see how our Holy Heavenly Father loves sinners but He does. There are some people that only a mother can love, yet God's love is deeper, broader, higher and wider than even a mother's love!

Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.  Isaiah 49:15

A lot of stress is slung around the hearts of many as they try to win the love of others, whether that be a spouse, a child, a parent, or a friend. We do not need to worry about winning God's love though. God loves us because He wants to and He uses His amazing grace to woo us into His loving, strong arms. God's love for us is not based upon our performance but is based upon the fact that we are His possessions. The right attitude regarding God's love will be cultivated in our hearts when we come to terms with whose we are and not putting so much time and temperamentinto who we are.

Meditation and reflection pertaining to our spiritual lives may be the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to dealing with problems and pain in this life. The right kind of quiet time result in peace of mind. And there is surely no better feeling for a Christian than to feel the love of God! When we feel the need to get away from it all and get with God, whether that be in a church house or in our house, it is because God's grace is wooing us with His wonderful love and miraculous mercy. The fact that God wants us to love Him is enough for us to want to love Him more and everything else less.

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10

When we are born again by the Holy Spirit, we then have the capacity to love God. God expects us to love Him too for His number one commandment to His redeemed children is to love Him with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength. I am almost sure nobody loves God like He expects us to, but it's good to know that we have a Savior who loved the Father perfectly and transferred His righteousness to us so that we appear before God as perfect and blameless in love. Yet, because love is a fruit of the spirit, and we have been given the Spirit, then our love for God is surely apt to show.

Go to Church

Everybody can't go to church. Everybody doesn't want to go to church. Some people want to go to church but cannot though they love God a lot. When we go to church, it helps us love God more because church helps us get to know Him better. And, the more we know God, the more we love God.

God is love according to the Bible and when we gather in Jesus' name and worship Him in Spirit and truth, our spiritual cups run over with love and adoration for the Holy One who is above all and controls all.

When we hear that Jesus died for our sins, thereby paying our sin debt fully, how can we not rejoice and love Him for such a sacrificial act of pure love?

Going to church promotes our love for God because in doing so we are keeping His commandments. Jesus said, If ye love me, keep my commandments. And God said: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

Read the Bible

The Bible is a love letter from Heaven and is right from the heart of God. If you have a letter you received from a loved one or friend who  you know loves you, you probably keep it close and read it often. The more we study God's word the more we should believe in His Holy unconditional love.

The Holy Bible is a living book and what it brings to life is the love of the Heavenly Father. His promises are sure and His love is for keeps for it keeps us ever yearning to be more like our Savior. The truth does make us free, but the truth also testifies of God's love. The Bible could not have been written by man because it tells of human frailties and portrays even the Biblical patriarchs, warts and all.

The hymn, "Jesus Loves Me" says what the Bible says about God's love.

"Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so...Jesus loves me. He will stay close beside me all the way...He's prepared a home for me, and some day His love I'll see."

Pray

Prayer is powerful because love is best expressed in a relationship. When we pray, it's not about asking God for things we don't have or things we'd like Him to take away. Praying to God is an expression of our love for Him. Taking time to pray is time well spent because we are taking time to love him. if you don't have time to pray, check your 'love for God gauge.' It's probably running low. We are told to pray without ceasing. The reason is that God's love is everlasting and our need for His love never ceases either. Prayer is a means of grace connecting us to a most needful power source -- the love of God.

We pray for others because we love them. Praying for others also increases our love for them. This principle will apply to praying to our Heavenly Father as well. Jesus said to pray for our enemies. He also said to love our enemies. It's not the length of our prayers that God notices, rather, it's our attitude. Praying with an attitude of love for God proves that love does cover a multitude of sins. Really, anytime we are prompted to pray to our Father, not that we should wait to be prompted to pray, but when and if we are it is a most gracious way of God's wooing us to love Him more.

Help Others

One truth that should jolt our hearts regarding loving God is the fact that  how we treat others is how we treat God! Jesus said, "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar" (1 John 4:20). Christianity is a thinking religion so to speak and scripture truth like that one should cause us to think about how we treat others and how we respond to their needs. I believe and I think that you also think that God is sovereign in all things, including His providence. Then we ought not ever doubt that the people He puts in our life pathways who need help are placed there to really test our love for Him. Nothing is by chance or accident, everything has a purpose, especially our burdens. God save us to be burden bearers for our Savior bore our ultimate burden on the cross.

My wife Penny recently fell and broke her hip requiring total hip replacement surgery. She is recovering now at home and I am in the privileged position of helping her do things I've never had to help her do. A few days ago, she said, "I don't want to be a burden to you," to which I replied, "Penny, you are not a burden. I love you!" Many of you have experienced or may not be experiencing caregiving for a loved one. This is a most miraculous ministry because somehow or other the Lord gives us strength, even joy, in doing it. The reason for this spiritual exhilaration is that when we help others, we are confessing Christ and Christ is confessing us to our Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit takes the burden and makes it a blessing. My friends, that is love in action and that is how we love God more and more!

And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40

Brother Randy