The Dimensions Of God's Love: Benevolence
For the Love of God...
What comes to your mind when you think of God? Fear or shame? How about a system of rules or demands I will never measure up to? Allow me to offer a different mind view when we think of God. God is love. That’s it, God is love. 1 John 4:16-19 says; "We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." "By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world." "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." "We love, because He first loved us." God's love may be thought of as his eternal giving or sharing of himself. As such, love has always been present among the members of the Trinity, even before there were any created beings. Let’s take a look at the basic dimensions of God's love being; Benevolence, Grace, Mercy, Persistence Benevolence is God's concern for the welfare of those whom he loves. He unselfishly seeks our ultimate welfare. The verse John 3:16 is probably the best known: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Also in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 7:7-8 we read; "The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand." God's love is an unselfish interest in us for our sake. This self-giving, unselfish quality of the divine love is seen in what God has done. God's love in sending his Son to die for us was not motivated by our prior love for him. The apostle John says: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:10). Romans 5:6-10 expands on the same theme. Note especially verse 8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us", and verse 10 , "when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son." Since God is love, the description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 is also a description of him; "Love is patient and kind, not jealous or boastful, not arrogant or rude; it does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right. It bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things." This divine love not only took the initiative in creating the basis of salvation by sending JesusChrist, but it also continuously seeks us out. Jesus's three parables in Luke 15 emphasize this strongly…
The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep that are safe in the fold and goes to seek the missing one.
The woman who had lost one coin searched diligently for it.
The father of the prodigal son did not go into the far country to look for him, he kept constant watch for the son's return. He took initiative in welcoming him back as his son, giving him the best of care and even ordering a celebration.
So now when you think of God, think HE LOVES ME! Next week we will look at Grace as His love for us. Have a good week and I’ll see ya Sunday.
Love ya all,
Pastor Mike
(602) 510-5563
