God’s love is unconditional and pure. There is no one on this planet who can love us like God can. So many people are exposed to twisted love that when they get introduced to God’s love, they second guess it and think God is trying to trick us, get something out of us and lie to us to get us to do things for Him. That is not at all the case and God had to work with me and He withdrew Himself for a time just so I would know it was Him.  

Have you ever heard the phrase, “For the love of God!”? That phrase is usually used in moments of surprise, anger and annoyance, which is the farthest thing from what the love of God actually is. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV). As you can see, this is actually what the love of God is and it’s the farthest thing from anger or annoyance. Getting to know God better is key to having a relationship with Him, or anyone for that matter. You can’t possibly love someone if you don’t know them, or can you? The answer is yes you can after you start to receive the love God has for you and that can only be done if you spend time with Him daily. He will not talk back in an audible voice but He will speak to you in thoughts, feelings, Bible verses, through other people, and actions of affection. God is not a silent God if you truly want to get to know Him. He will make coincidences happen that are not coincidental, but a sign of His presence.

“We have come to know [by personal observation and experience] and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him… There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgement] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].” 1 John 4:16, 18

                 Love is agape in Greek in the verse above. Agape love is not just words, it’s action too. It means to be charitable and have affection for someone, which means to like or be kind to them. Words are empty without action. If you don’t do things for other people and just say you love them, the words “I love you” fall short because there are no actions to back it up. A lot of people get manipulated by others who constantly demand things from other people but fail to reciprocate their affections, which is done more often than not nowadays and is likened to narcissism. People do this to people and to God. How can you serve or love God if you’re not doing anything to spend time with Him or spread the gospel? You can’t.

                 In order to serve God best, you must believe just how much He loves you and how pure His love is. It’s hard to grasp it especially when you’ve been around perverted love all of your life and never got to experience real love like God’s love. I f you don’t accept His love, you will be fearful and frightened all the time of the wrong things and not be in reverential awe of God. God doesn’t want you to be terrified of Him but He does want you to respect Him and give Him your time. Once your grasp how much God loves you, you will be able to do things you never thought possible and will stop second guessing yourself every time you mess up or receive criticism from others. You will start to be more comfortable doing things that make you uncomfortable, like talking to strangers, pursuing your dreams, making bold decisions, confronting others etc. His love also makes it easier to love others, forgive them when they hurt you, and love yourself too.

                 Knowing God loves you and that His love doesn’t come with stipulations or accomplishments and isn’t merit based will give you more confidence and will propel you forward out of old, damaging ways of thinking and into new, Christ-like ways of thinking. Once you start to receive the love of God, your whole life can be renewed if you put forth the effort. All you have to do is believe!