That’s a loaded title, isn’t it? We all have a definition of love. Regardless of your definition of love, we all know it when we feel it, miss it when it isn’t present in our lives, and desire it in our hearts. One of the worst feelings on the planet is when we offer up the words, “I love you, ” and the response is anything other than some variation of, “I love you too.”
One of the most vivid characteristics of the Divine is that he is a God of love. The Psalmist was descriptive in recording the love-nature of God in Psalms 103. He stated that He was “compassionate and merciful, and filled with unfailing love.” and His unfailing love toward those who are in awe of him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.”
The point is not simply that God “loves,” but that He is love itself. Love is not merely one of His attributes, but His very nature. In 1 John 4:16, the Scriptures read, “And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him”.
To say that God is love is not to imply that love is God. There is a difference like there is a difference in me saying my dog is a girl and my girl is a dog.
God is love means that God wants the very best for you. God has your best interest in mind. He wants to give you good gifts and provide you with “all his benefits”. I need those benefits. I long for the benefits. I times that are challenging, I am desperate for them. And when life is racing at a pace that I cannot sustain, I cry out for those benefits.
The question is….how do I start this week with the assurance of the Divine pouring out the benefits of following Him and Him alone? GRATITUDE! That’s right!
If you want to be the recipient of the Divine’s benefits, STOP and count the ones you already have. The truth is that you are already receiving them, starting with – You Are Loved and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop that love!
Listen to today’s WEEKDAY PODCAST and listen to the science behind gratitude! Then BE GRATEFUL. His benefits are waiting for you to prepare yourself to receive them.
GO OUT THERE AND KILL IT TODAY!
–AChuck
