What God’s Love Isn’t (Part 1)

“Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

But does God love you? Does God love me? How do we know?

And what does that really mean?

As I wrote a few weeks ago, I believe faith is more fragile than trust. We won’t have faith in someone we don’t trust. And sometimes, people’s actions raise questions about their trustworthiness, right? Lose trust in someone, and your faith in them disappears.

So then, who can you trust?

I believe it all turns on whether they love you or not. Like, really love you.

I’ve sat with younger guys for thirty-five years, hoping they’ll trust Jesus with their lives, careers, marriages . . . with everything. Most of them know all the words to “Jesus Loves Me,” and they wouldn’t disagree that He loves them. Yet it can be so hard to trust Him. And it’s not just them, it’s many of us. Why is that?

Perhaps we don’t fully appreciate God’s love. So, let’s think a little about it.

In real terms.

Here’s what God’s love isn’t . . .

• Some generic feel-good concept sprayed down from the heavens like sunshine.
• Some vague promise lifted from a hymn or prayer book, followed by a feeling of righteousness from having sung it or said it.
• Something you feel every now and again when things go well, and you get what you want.
• Something you earn by being good or doing good.
• A source of hope that everything in your life will be wrinkle-free, go wonderfully swell, and work out as you dreamed.

Those who generalize God’s love may have never truly experienced it. And a shallow understanding of God’s love renders it meaningless, fragile, irrelevant to real life.

If we’ve never really considered God’s boundless love for what it is and what it cost, it’s not surprising that we don’t fully appreciate it . . .  and in turn, have a hard time trusting Him.

Check back Monday for more on what God’s love is.

Scripture: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)

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