1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
I grew up as a Christian like most with the understanding:
“You have to love God more! You must have more passion for God!” You have probably heard this type of preaching and may have even tried your best to love God, only to fail miserably.
But what is the true definition of love? Let the Bible define it for us:
“… this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us…” Clearly, it is not about our love for Him, but His love for us!
But Pastor, the Bible says that you must “love God with all your heart, soul and strength!”
Yes, that is true according to the law (Deuteronomy 6:5), and even Jesus taught that as the great commandment when He walked on earth. (Matthew 22:37) But that was before He died on the cross. At the cross, He became the very fulfillment of this law for us when He loved us with all His heart, soul and strength, by laying down His body and life on the cross for us.
Today, we are no longer under the law but under grace. And grace tells us how much God loves us, not how much we must love God. The Bible says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8) That’s how much He loves us!
And when we see how much He loves us, this compels you to love Him. When you live for God out of the knowledge that He loves you – that’s when endurance, commitment and passion rise up from within you. It's no longer you trying to lift yourself and keep your self pure and passionate, the love that God has towards you becomes your inner strength!
God has seen you trying to love Him. And because He loves you, He wants you to sit down and be still, and rest in the knowledge that He loves you. He loves you unconditionally regardless of who you are or what you have done because His love is not dependent on you but on Himself. He will never stop loving you.
So rest in God's love for you today. Don’t worry about loving Him. The more of His love you receive, the more you will fall in love with Him!