People are looking for love everywhere, but what we really need is God’s love. He pours out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit and makes this love visible through us to other people. This way, the church is a place where God’s love can be found!
This kind of agape love is self-giving and goes the extra mile. Furthermore, it is unconditional. There are no strings attached. Agape love makes no prior demands. It lays down no conditions. It doesn’t say, "For me to love you, you’ve got to fulfil these qualifications." It cannot be earned. That’s one of the most difficult things for the religious mind to comprehend – the love of God cannot be earned. And if we give people only love that they’ve earned, we are not giving them God’s love, we’re not giving them agape love.
There’s a little verse from a hymn that’s always made a deep impression on me. I don’t think I even know the tune of the hymn, but these are the words:
“How sovereign, wonderful and free, the love of God for sinful me.”
There are three words there that speak about God’s love. "How sovereign, wonderful and free." It’s sovereign. No one tells God what to do with His love. He’s under no obligation to account for His love.
And then it’s wonderful; it’s amazing. If we go only by what is reasonable and probable, we just cannot believe in the love of God because it is most unreasonable and most improbable.
John 3:16 says:
“God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him won’t perish but will have eternal life.”
God’s love is sovereign, it’s wonderful and then it’s free. That’s such a beautiful word. It does not have to be earned; it just has to be received. I trust you’ll go through the rest of this day saying that to yourself. "How sovereign, wonderful and free, the love of God for sinful me."
For reflection and prayer
How sovereign, wonderful and free, the love of God for sinful me.
