We’ve been looking at what God’s immense love does. This devotional reading begins looking at characteristics of God’s love.
Nuggets
- Jesus has an everlasting love for us that has no beginning, lasts for eternity, and remains faithful regardless of our actions.
- Jesus has an everlasting love for us that never changes as He leads us through trials.
- Jesus has a compassionate love so that He will never leave us even when He turns away.
We’ve been chasing a rabbit because we can’t talk about God’s judgment of the world until we understand the love that He has for it.
We’ve talked about the outcomes of God’s love for us — the Plan of Salvation. Now, we are going to talk about the characteristics of His love.
Let’s start by looking at God’s everlasting love.
Let's Put It into Context
To read devotions in the On the Day of the Lord theme, click the button below.
Devotions in the Getting Started in Revelation study
The foundation of this series is Witherspoon’s sermon The Love of Christ in Redemption.
Resource
Related Links
We the People
A Faithful Love
“the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jer. 31: 3 ESV)
Jesus has an everlasting love for us that has no beginning, lasts for eternity, and remains faithful regardless of our actions.
Jeremiah was a prophet that warned the Israelites that they would be taken into captivity by the Babylonians. For all his dire warnings, he did end up with a measure of assurance. “… I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jer. 31: 3 ESV).
John was a faithful Jewish man. He would have connected Jesus’ love with Jeremiah’s truth.
Because of that, John would have known the definition of everlasting love. Davies told us what it is. He wrote everlasting love is “… love without beginning, love without change, and love without end.”
Resource
We can’t talk about Jesus’ love for us without talking about God’s love for us. They worked in tandem on the Plan of Salvation. Where One designed the Plan, the Other implemented it.
This love is personal. God calls each and every one of us to salvation. We aren’t saved because of the family we are in or the church that we attend.
We gain salvation by personally accepting Jesus as our Savior and God as Sovereign Lord.
We know Their love for us is everlasting because they are eternal. “He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever” (Heb. 7: 3 ESV).
It isn’t based on us. “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5: 7-8 ESV).
God saw a mankind who would always be disobedient to Him and designed the Plan of Salvation anyway. It was based on His everlasting love for us.
What? You don’t think Jesus could love us because it has been too much time between now and then?
John’s audience wasn’t other Apostles or even disciples that were from his generation. He was, in essence, talking about everyone who came after him.
Look at John’s response to Jesus’ love. John is the self-described Apostle whom Jesus loved (Jn. 13: 12). What he told his audience here is that, even though they never met Jesus personally, He loved them just as much as He loved John.
Jesus not only tells us in words He loves us. His actions also backed them up. “… To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood” (Rev. 1: 5 ESV).
But didn’t we see that played out in Israel’s history? God didn’t just cut them off in their unbelief and disobedience the first time that occurred.
Time and time again, they would disobey God. He would punish them but take them back when they repented of their sins. “… I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jer. 31: 3 ESV).
It is a wonder that God loves us at all, let alone with an everlasting love – with a faithful love.
Love is the fuel that runs God’s car of forgiveness, mercy, and grace. That is because God is love (I Jn. 4: 8).
God does love us regardless of our actions, but He does require us to accept the Plan of Salvation to gain eternal life. We willingly submit to God because He loves us. It is our choice.
True, part of the reason for God’s love is that He is our Creator. We usually have a special, unbreakable bond for our children – regardless of how they turn out.
What is expected of us? A simple, child-like faith. We open the eyes of our hearts to see God as He truly is.
We show our love for God by examining ourselves, identifying our sins, confessing them, and repenting by turning away from them.
How empowering it is to know God loves us that much! How assuring.
A Steadfast Love
“But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children” (Ps. 103: 17 ESV)
Jesus has an everlasting love for us that never changes as He leads us through trials.
Some might take offense at the way mankind is described in God’s Word. We are called weak. It is said our lives are fleeting.
- “I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification” (Rom. 6: 19 ESV).
- “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow” (Ps. 144: 4 ESV).
These verses give us the idea that we are like ships, tossed around in the raging sea. Any minute we are going to be dashed onto the rocks and torn apart. And there is nothing we can do about it.
Why would God want to have anything to do with us?
But that isn’t the only way in which we are described.
- “Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life” (Isa. 43: 4 ESV).
- “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him” (I Jn. 3: 1 ESV).
God isn’t like us. He is steadfast and sure. He is strong where we are weak.
- “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lam. 3: 22-23 ESV).
- “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, ‘His steadfast love endures forever.’ Let the house of Aaron say, ‘His steadfast love endures forever.’ Let those who fear the Lord say, ‘His steadfast love endures forever’” (Ps. 118: 1-4 ESV).
Isn’t that what it is all about? “… his steadfast love endures forever!” (Ps. 118: 1 ESV).
We are called to endure through the trials that test us. Through them, we become steadfast. “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (Jas. 1: 12 ESV).
Our faith grows in two ways through these trials. We endure trials that bring us to a deeper understanding of the life of which He offers us.
That understanding grows our confidence in God. We see Him for Who He is – One Who’s love never changes.
We know we can endure because God is steadfast. He never leaves us.
- “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deut. 31: 8 ESV)
- “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Heb. 13: 5 ESV).
God is steadfast in His mercy.
A Compassionate Love
“‘For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,’ says the LORD, your Redeemer” (Isa. 54: 7-8 ESV)
Jesus has a compassionate love so that He will never leave us even when He turns away.
The Israelites had been disobedient— again. They had turned into the problem child.
Wait! What?
What happened to God will never leave us?
- “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deut. 31: 8 ESV).
- “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13: 5 ESV).
I get it that “… a brief moment ….” (Isa. 54: 7 ESV) was temporary. Trapp equated it to an eclipse.
Resource
That is some sort of comfort.
True, our definition of brief may not be God’s definition. We’ve already talked about how soon is relevant. We know that “… the time is near” (Rev. 1: 3 ESV) didn’t happen soon in our definition.
We can’t necessarily substitute little for brief either. Little things also hurt big time.
But what happened to never?
It is God talking in Isaiah 54. All trials and punishment come because He allows them — if not brings it on Himself.
Is there some difference in deserted and leave?
Well, according to the definitions and synonyms, when we desert something, it can be temporary. When we leave, it is more permanent. Maybe.
Personally, I think God will not leave His children, even when we are sinning. He has sealed us. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 1: 13 ESV).
Let’s look at this a different way. Is there a reason why God would leave us?
Many would point to the verse in Habakkuk to say God would have to depart from us when we sin. “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?” (Hab. 1: 13 ESV emphasis added).
This verse is used to show that God cannot look at evil, but that isn’t exactly what it says. “You who … cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors …” (Hab. 1: 13 ESV).
It is almost like it is saying it is against His nature to look at sin, but it isn’t against His character.
Griffin helped explain this. He wrote, “God’s forsaking His people cannot be at all in sovereignty, but must always be in justice; the very next verse tells us, in fact, that it was ‘in wrath’ — that it was on account of sin.”
Resource
God isn’t giving up His authority over us. But He is exercising justice over us when He turns away in wrath.
God is still there. We just don’t have access to Him.
It isn’t God just turning away from us. We drive Him away because of our sin. It is because of our moral deterioration that God must limit access.
Maybe we are tripping too much over the looking part. Maybe it was more of a question of, “Why are You not punishing the wicked and making the righteous prosper?”
Hmmm. People are still asking that question today.
Bottom line, it is more a question of toleration.
Oh, isn’t that rich? The worldview people today think love is all about toleration. They equate toleration with approval.
But to some, toleration means that they are able to commit whatever sin they choose.
God is tolerating sin right now. He isn’t playing dictator and making us quit. He hasn’t proclaimed today is the Day of the Lord. He is allowing worldview people to have their way.
That shows what a compassionate God He is.
But it isn’t going to last. The Day of the Lord will come.
Let’s put the Habakkuk verse into context. Habakkuk was asking God why He was going to let the Israelites be taken captive to people who were worse.
There are consequences and results of sin. Even disciples won’t always be exempt from them.
But over, around, and above all is God’s compassionate love for us. Look at what else Isaiah said.
“This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you. For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you” (Isa. 54: 9-10 ESV).
Because of His steadfast love for us, God has compassion on us. He is faithful to us — even when we are not faithful to Him. That is because His everlasting love isn’t contingent on our actions.
Making the Connections
Yes, one day the Day of the Lord will come. We will be reunited with God and be better off than we were in the Garden of Eden.
We will know firsthand God’s forgiveness. All the sins of our past will be totally washed clean as we are given new eternal bodies.
How Do We Apply This?
- Bubble forth with praise because of Jesus’ everlasting love for us.
- Seek His love, not the applause of men.
- Examine ourselves, identify our sins, confess them, and repent by turning away from them.
- Exhibit a simple, child-like faith.
Resource
Father God. You have proven that Your love for us is not dependent on our actions by creating us even though You knew we would disobey You. You continue to be faithful to us when we continue to be unfaithful to You. Forgive us. Help us to love You more.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.