Love is the Will of God

I have spent a lifetime trying to earn Love

Love of my father, Love of coaches, Love of professors, Love of denominational leaders, Love of Church members, and Love of staff members.

Becuase of this at times this striving has made it easy for me to communicate God’s love as transactional.

The truth is that many of us have had the same issues…we spend so much time trying to earn love that the idea of an unconditional love given to us is impossible to truly embrace. After all why should everyone else get off so easy? Why shouldn’t we get to compare their lack of effort to our constant effort?

The problem with this view of love is that it always leads us to isolation in bondage to unrealistic expectation instead of the beautiful fellowship of forgiven believers.

The writer of Hebrews starts out chapter 10 by pointing out the folly in God’s eyes of this type of pursuit of righteousness or the love of God. He says this is not what God wants from us. The sacrificial system and worship up to Jesus was not what caused God to love us. If so then all would be well

We believe in this love and want it but we often want to make sure that people know we have earned it…we have done all the things that God requires and as a result God loves us. Yet…Jesus came to take this idea away…Jesus came to take away the requirement of works righteousness and live in the freedom of a received unconditional love.

This is God’s concept of Love

Love is God’s will

Why is this kind of Love so hard to talk about?

It’s much easier to talk about strife.

In some ways conflict is more comfortable than Love.

Receiving Love is hard

Giving Love is hard

Love earned encourages harshness

Love received is easily given

God is not interested in you earning

God is interested in your giving yourself to perfect love

We cannot judge justly until we love completely