Created To Be Lovers

By Charles F. Stanley

Have you ever wondered if your life has a purpose? The Word of God says it does—one that is both noble and desirable for every believer. You were created by God to love and be loved.

God loves you personally and individually, without limit or qualification. He desires to shower you with His love. Let me assure you of several things regarding His affection for you:

God’s love is the most important thing we can know about Him.

The very essence of God’s being—His personality, His nature—is love (1 John 4:8). It is the reason Jesus came to earth, lived a victorious life, and then died to restore man’s relationship with God (John 3:16). The most important decision we can ever make is to receive and reciprocate God’s love, and to love others.

The Lord’s affection is absolute, unwavering, and sacrificial. Moreover, God’s love is not subject to favoritism. He loves the sinner as much as He loves the saint. That fact may be difficult to swallow in our human pride or our desire to be “somebody special.” But God loves each person with the same quantity and quality of love.

The Bible tells us that the rain falls on the just and the unjust, and the sun shines on the righteous and the wicked. That means everyone experiences certain benefits and blessings from God, whether or not he believes God exists. But the person who receives Jesus as Savior is in a position to reap the blessings that accompany an outpouring of love into his or her life.

The Lord’s love is not based upon what we do, what we have, or what we achieve. He gives it to us simply because we are His creation. You cannot win or earn more of God’s favor. His love is unconditional and not based upon performance. Accept and delight in that truth.

The most important response we can make is to reciprocate God’s love.

John said it simply and eloquently, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NKJV). And Jesus said the first and foremost commandment was this: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37). The only response acceptable to God’s great outpouring of love toward you is to love Him back.

We can choose to rebel. And while this doesn’t affect the nature of His feelings, it will change us. The person who refuses to acknowledge and receive God’s love cuts him- or herself off from great blessing. Not only that, but such an individual typically yields to anger, hatred, resentment, and bitterness. To harden one’s heart against God’s love is the supreme act of rebellion—and it hurts oneself the most. Loving God, on the other hand, brings good into our lives.

Satan constantly tries to convince us that if we follow Jesus, we will have to give up personal freedom, identity, and pleasure. But those who live apart from God’s love inevitably discover they are not any freer because of their rebellion. If they don’t go to jail, they wind up in emotional or psychological prisons, caught in addiction, or trapped by feelings of hatred and anger. The longer they live separated from the Lord’s love and mercy, the more of their true self they lose. Such people may end up with little pleasure in life. Some become cynical, jaded, critical—and, in the end, apathetic to nearly everything.

But those who embrace God’s love and return it enjoy inner freedom they never imagined. They develop as individuals, discovering hidden talents and abilities. They experience true delight in God’s creation and know the joy of perpetual discovery.

When we choose to love and obey God, we can be sure He will guide us toward doing what will bring about the greatest possible good in life.

God’s love is our ultimate reason to hope.

If we know with certainty that God loves us and desires good for our lives, what is there to fear? What is there to dread? What can cause depression?

I am not making light of these emotions. They are normal human responses and are sometimes linked to biological issues with certain individuals. In some cases, what’s needed is medical attention. Still, hope in Christ is for everyone. It compels us not to remain in a state of fear, doubt, or depression but to seek transformation by the Holy Spirit’s power. Trust encourages us to raise our eyes and look for the dawning of a new day—to anticipate God’s best.

Our heavenly Father is generous—even extravagant—in His love. Open your heart and let the Lord shower more of His love and good gifts upon you. You won’t regret yielding your life to Him.

Adapted from “Discover Your Destiny” (1997).