Love can be defined in so many ways. A lot of people give different meanings to what they feel and how they feel it. Sometimes, you might think you are in love with someone, but the person might not feel the same way. Every human has his/her own way of showing or expressing what they feel inside. Sometimes these expressions can be confusing to those at the receiving end. The question of love has raised a lot of eyebrows of what it entails. There are so many interpretations of these feelings, but one thing is certain when it comes to love, there must be a proof. Yes, the person being loved might not actually see these signs, but it will be very obvious to those around because love is just not words, but actions. So, when we talk about true love, we are talking about expressing genuine affection through your actions.
Today, I am not here to talk about love in the general sense of it, but I am here to talk about a different kind of love which is AGAPE LOVE. Sometimes, human attach so many conditions before they can love anyone some will even consider race, background, attitude, physical appearance, and intelligence, but when it comes to this kind of love, it is unconditional. God is love, it is in His nature to love. Everything God does flows from His love. It does not matter who you are. There are no conditions for God's love. He dwells in love, He acts in love, and He judges in love. You know for humans, it is so painful to love someone, and not get loved in return but with God, it is a different ball game. Oftentimes, we take His love for mankind for granted, but He has never stopped loving us. He cares for us, He wants to make us happy, all these He has expressed through His son Christ Jesus. How do you explain giving up an only son to die for the sins of the world? This is nothing but true love. And, as believers of the gospel, we are supposed to return His love by showing love to others irrespective of who they are. We are not supposed to discriminate even to those that are not in the faith because God has shown and taught us what true love is all about.
7 Attributes Of God's Love
What makes God's love so special? What are the attributes of His love
God's love is active:
True love is God's type of love and its superior to human love. No man can die for his enemy, but Jesus died for everyone even when we are yet sinners. He died for us all. There is nothing on the face of the earth that is worth the life of Christ Jesus, but God gave him up. God has demonstrated His love by sending His son to die for mankind in order for us to be saved. This is action speaking louder than words.
God's love is never dormant:
It is demonstrative. God demonstrated His love by giving His all. He never sleeps nor slumbers. He is always awake to watch over us even while we are asleep, He is watching over us. He protects us from harm. He never disappoints us. The Bible says He has built a wall of fire around us. Do you know what this means? His love never grows old, He is not tired of us despite the fact we are sometimes disobedient to His rules, but He still stays awake for our sake.
God's love is ever increasing:
God's love is everlasting. Love covers multiple sins since God loves us while we are yet sinners, He will continue to love us now we are redeemed, and even more. God's love is priceless and a continuous process, ever increasing and everlasting.
God's love is unconditional:
God loves us for who we are and not for what we are. His love knows no bounds. It doesn't show any discrimination whether you are black or white, short or tall, rich or poor. It is in His nature to love every one of us unconditionally. When it comes to God's love, there are no preference or partiality. He favours and supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory no matter who you are.
God's love is perfect:
Well, no human is perfect. We all work towards perfection, but we serve a God who is perfect in everything He does. There is no error in His dictionary so His love for us is not a mistake, it is perfect from the time of creation. They say no relationship is perfect, but with God, we have a perfect relationship through Christ Jesus.
God's love is patient:
One of the attributes of God's love is that it is patient. For most humans, it is difficult to tolerate an individual for years especially when they say "I am sorry" and still go back to that same reason why they apologised in the first place over and over again, but with God this is different. He is so patient with us, He is never tired of accepting our apologies as long as we ask for His forgiveness. His love is patient and tolerant. Sometimes, we don't even desire His love, but He has been patient with us giving us enough time to realize how much He loves us.
God's love brings healing:
You know, whenever I pass through trials and temptations, something always gets me going; the love of God. I always have this relieve that His love for me will not allow me to be consumed by those trails. This brings a lot of healing to my soul. It makes me feel so happy that my story will end in praise because He loves me so much. God's love brings healing to the troubled heart.
In conclusion
Isn't it amazing to be loved by the Almighty God? Who are we that He is mindful of us? Who are we that He sent His only son to die on the cross of Calvary? Who are we that despite our flaws, He has never stopped loving us, and who are we that while we sleep, He is awake just to watch over us. The question is how do we repay all His love? We can never repay His love, but we can try to keep His commandments through Christ that strengthens us, and by showing love to our neighbours irrespective of who they are.