John 3:16 (NLT) For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Unfortunately, we’ve distorted what love is. First off, God is love. A lot of times we see God as some judge to point out our wrongs and tell us what we can’t do. God is love and He is loving. Don’t forget that.
Secondly, love is not the ability to do whatever you want. For some reason, we tend to think that if God loved us He would let us do whatever we want. We think that love gives us whatever we want. Love is what we want when we want it, right? However, I’ve yet to read that definition for love, but somehow that’s the one we operate under.
I believe for God, love is investing in our growth. God invested a part of Himself into saving us from all of our sins. And to love us, is to want us to grow. And to grow means that things have to not go our way so that we can mature in life.
God loves us too much for us to stunt in growth, so He gives us opportunities to expand. Love isn’t doing what’s easiest for someone. Sometimes, it’s making the hard choice for them and for yourself. God made a hard choice. For He so loved the world that He gave…
God, teach us to love the way You do. Love isn’t getting what we want, but giving what we have to honor and glorify You. Don’t let us forget that. In Jesus’ Name, amen.