God’s love is amazing. But there have been times when I’ve doubted how much God really loves me. I’ve looked at all my imperfections and shortcomings and thought that perhaps I’ve someone managed to fall out of His love. I’ve peered back at my past, or even my present, and began to believe the lie that God didn’t really love me as much as He said He did. If you have ever felt like this, let me remind you how much God loves you. No matter what you have done or who you have become, God still loves you.
My wife and I recently had our first child, and the moment she arrived I had a sudden revelation about a father’s love. The second I looked down at my newborn child, I knew that I loved her. I understood that taking care of her would take work, I knew that there would be times when she would disobey or get into trouble, and I knew that I could never expect her to be perfect. But this didn’t matter because I loved her the moment I saw her. I may think that my love for my daughter is strong now, but I have only just begun to know her. I have just scratched the surface!
God’s Love is Perfect
In the same way that I love my daughter, God loves His children. He looks down at them in their imperfections and their failures and loves them. But God’s love is different. It goes beyond and above the love that we can have for our children. As I studied my sleeping newborn’s precious face, I thought about the love that God has for us, and two big differences between His love and ours stood out.
The first difference is that man’s love is imperfect, but God’s love is perfect. Though I may try my hardest to love my daughter in every way that I should, I will fail. Sadly, there will be times when I mess up. There will be times when my love falls short. I may desire to have the best intentions, longing to always give of myself in order to love her more, but I won’t ever match the love that God has for us, because God’s love is perfect. Love never fails, and God is love, so that means that God will never fail you. His love will always be enough. If we accept His love, it will always satisfy, it will always bring peace and it will always lead us to salvation. We know that’s God’s love for us is perfect because He made the ultimate sacrifice. When we were destined for destruction, He sent His only Son to die in our place and bring us life. He loved us so much that He died for us.
God Is Not Limited in His Ability to Love Us
The second difference is that man’s love is bound by the limitations of man, but God’s love is not limited because God is not limited. When I think about my daughter, I think about all the things I want to do for her to give her a great life. I think about providing for her, encouraging her, caring for her, and doing what’s best for her. I want to always be doing things like treating her special, buying her gifts, and spending time with her. But there’s a problem. I’m limited in my ability to do these things. I can’t spend all my time with her because I have to work. I can’t always buy her things because I have a budget. I can’t always treat her special because I have other responsibilities that I must see to.
We may be limited in our ability to love, but God is not. God is not bound by time, He has no need for money because He owns all things, and He is able to take care of all of His children at once. Imagine a Father like that! That is who God is. He is our Father, He loves us perfectly, and He is not limited in His ability to love us. Why then do we so often go directly to doctors, financial experts, marriage counselors, psychiatrists and divorce lawyers to fix our problems? Should we not first run to our loving Father?
1 John 3:1a says, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God.” God loves you. He is your Father, and He loves you. Run to Him.