How Great is the Love

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

Lavish love! Whoa! This is a heavily exclamation marked post so far, but so is the truth of that verse. His love for me, for us His children, is so great yet I live like it is conditional or dutiful or "supposed to" love. I assume it is factual love but not delighted love. I assume He stands with arms crossed and a disappointed scowl toward me for my foolishness, ignorance, bad attitudes, cluelessness and so on. But lavish love has no scowl. Lavish love doesn't have arms folded but wide open!

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

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:16-19

"We know and RELY on the love God has for us." Oh that I could begin to rely on His love rather than doubt it. That I could begin to trust His love, fully earned by the person and work of Jesus and quit trying to earn and maintain it by my own striving. There is no more punishment for me in His love because it has already been applied to Someone else. Why do I keep fearing His displeasure, distrusting His adoration of me as His lavishly loved child?

As Edmund Clowney referenced the Israelites, chosen not choice, could I live out of His lavish love that is based solely on His goodness and not my own? He loves me not by ignoring my irritating habits, overlooking my impure motives and stubborn opinions but with confidence that His love will change these realities of my heart, in His good time, to His glory.

Oh that just this one day I could live with the laughter of one who is lavishly loved, the delight of life free of cynicism and distrust and ultimately better able to love others because I have been so well loved.