God had so much love in His heart that He had to do something with it. He came to us with the greatest love. His compassion gave us the gift of His Son. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, NKJV). He didn’t have to do anything for us, but He did.
God doesn’t stand back with His arms crossed, shaking his head and saying, “Now you do better. I'll love you when you do good enough to please me." The enemy tells us that the love of God has to be earned and then held on to by earning God's acceptance. Religion says that if we do certain things, we will receive God's blessings. But God says that He loved us so much while we were sinners, He came to save us. He didn't ask anything of us. He freely offered His life for ours and gave us the gift of everlasting life.
Have you ever looked at everlasting life as being yours now? You received the promise of eternal life when you were saved. You became joined to God in spirit, and your spirit became one with His Spirit. Christ, the hope of glory, came to live in you (Colossians 1:27). God has made known the riches of His glory to you through His Son. Jesus gave His life so you could experience the Kingdom of Heaven. He prayed that God’s will in heaven would be done on earth. The peace and joy and healing of heaven are found in God’s gift of abundant life now—the abundant life the enemy wants to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). All the fullness of God lives inside of us, and we have the power to rebuke the enemy’s lies that tell us we will never know God’s abundant life now.
Many Christians believe that by keeping the Word they will please God. We don’t prove that we love God by what we do. He loves us because of who He is—not because of who we are. He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Jesus came to reveal the love of God to us. It was His love on the Cross that destroyed sin and sickness and death and the separation between God and us. And it is the revelation of His love that fills us with overflowing love and grace. And that revelation of His love and grace inspires us to keep the Word. He convicts us with His righteousness (John 16:8), and we keep the Word out of overflowing love for Him. We don’t keep it because it is required.
To comprehend the width and length and depth and height of God's love (Ephesians 3:18), we need to know what His love is—what it looks like—how to receive it—and how to walk in it. A revelation of God’s love unlocks the Word of God. The Bible is His love letter filled with His promises!
Do you realize that He loves you so much that the promises in the Word are yours personally? Perhaps, you are a "someday" person. Someday, I'm going to have that peace the Bible promises. Someday, I'm going to experience healing. Someday, I'll have no more fear and no more pain. And your list of “somedays” goes on. God’s promises are real for you now—not just someday. The fullness of God’s love breathes within you. You have a thriving everlasting relationship with Jesus now. But if you don’t know who He is within you, you won’t thrive because you won’t know what you have.
The Bible is not a “someday” Word. If it is, then you have to work for peace and joy, and healing. But you can’t manufacture those in your life. They are gifts of God. When you have a spiritual revelation of how much God loves you, you receive His gifts of peace, joy, and healing. The truth is there is nothing you can do to earn God's love. You will never be good enough. It is a free gift of His grace.
If the Bible is a “someday” book, then someday the Cross will save you, and someday victory will be yours. But when you have a revelation of God’s love for you, you realize that your someday is now. And when the love of God tells you that someday is now, trying to earn what you already have just tortures you.
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has given us everlasting life now. "My love for you is manifested through my Son," He declares (1 John 4:9). When you have a revelation of the love of God that died for you and was resurrected for you, His love abundantly comes to life in you. You have manifested peace and joy and healing through the finished work of the Cross.
God would never give you all His love on the Cross and then hold back His blessings from you. That isn’t loving. And He doesn’t hold back. He freely gives us all things (Romans 8:32). He paid the price. Not you. That is His love for you now and not just sometime in the future. When you understand in your heart how much God loves you right now—how deep His love for you is—you are free to be His. And within you, His abundant life is real.
God's love for you is how you perceive it. It is all about your perspective.
© 2021 Lynn Lacher
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