The gospel of Christ teaches that God loves every person in the world (John 3:16). God's love is manifested to the world in the death of Jesus Christ (1 John 3:16). In response to God's love, we must love Him by keeping His commandments (John 14:15; 1 John 2:5).
Christians love God for many reasons, all of which are life-changing and life-sustaining. The reasons we love God reflect our faith in God and the place God has in our hearts.
1) We love God because He first loved us. "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). God's redemptive love offered to us in Christ compels us to love Him and each other (1 John 4:11). We cannot love God while refusing to love one another (1 John 4:20-21).
2) We love God because He hears our prayers. Hezekiah wrote, "I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore, I will call upon Him as long as I live" (Psa. 116:1). The blessing of prayer is beyond our words to adequately describe. Our Father is attentive to us; our trials, our sorrows, our joys, our needs, supplications, our intercessions and more. Oh what comfort as His child to cry out, "Abba, Father!" (Gal. 4:6).
3) We love God because He protects us. "Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person" (Psa. 31:23). The faithful trust the Lord for His abiding presence and protection. They rely on Him to right every wrong and to lead them to life eternal. The Christian's assurance is that "we know that all things work together for good to those who love God" (Rom. 8:28). God's protection comes in many forms, including His providential care that answers prayer, His powerful word of truth that guides us and the help of faithful brethren that sustains us (Eph. 6:10-17; Gal. 6:1-2). "The Lord preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy" (Psa. 145:20). To live in the confidence of God's protection one must love Him (which means to obey Him, John 14:15).
Nothing can separate us from "the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:38-39). The important decision you must make is whether you will love Him and obey Him out of your love for Him (Mark 12:28-34; John 14:15; Matt. 7:21).
- The Spirit's Sword, 1/22/12