“I have loved you, saith the Lord” (Malachi 1:2).
“Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end” (John 13:1).
“Greater love hath no man than this” (John 15:13).
We may ask ourselves the question, “How much do I love the Lord?” But perhaps it would be better to ask ourselves, “How much does the Lord love me?”
Have you ever just sat quietly alone and let the Lord love you? Have you ever, alone in His company, felt those everlasting arms of love about you, and heard Him say, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3)? His is a perfect love, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18).
Sometimes the Lord has to pull us aside from the busyness of life and society so that we will take time to enjoy His love. To have a fresh and deeper appreciation of His love is to have our hearts and our love for Him enlarged and magnified. “We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The more we enjoy His love, the more we love Him.
We are loved by the Lord with the same love that God the Father has for His beloved Son. He has declared, “As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you” He then adds a word of exhortation, “Continue ye in My love” (John 15:9).
Even in correction and chastening He does it for our good and blessing, and in infinite love. “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth” (Hebrews 12:6). “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten” (Revelation 3:19).
We may not always be able to see or understand His ways of love in our circumstances, but we can always see His love at the cross. If you ever doubt His love in His dealings with you, repeat with the Apostle Paul, “The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Or, think of the words of the hymn most of us have sung from the days of our childhood:
Jesus loves me, He who died,
Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let a little child come in.
Yes, Jesus love me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus love me!
The Bible tells me so.
Soon we will enjoy His love unhindered in the Father’s house. In the meantime we are encouraged and exhorted, “Keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 21). “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” (Ephesians 5:2).
When our souls are enlarged in this way our response will be: “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5-6).
“And now abide faith, hope, love; these three things; and the greater of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 JND Translation).