Love Everlasting
Written by: Kyla McCormick
Last year we were preparing for a new year of our mother’s group. When seeking the Lord as to what it would look like, He made it clear that we were going to be doing something new. He gave us a new name and provided scriptures and themes. It all came together to reveal more about who He is and who we are in Him. It is truly so amazing the way The Lord provides and how He brings things forth!
Our most recent topic has been love everlasting. I felt led to share with you here what the Lord shared with me for our group. The scripture Jeremiah 31:3 says; The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. I am so thankful that God loves us, but what is love? Scripture tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8). Love is patient, kind and selfless (1 Corinthians 13). God showed us His unconditional, selfless and sacrificial love when His son Jesus gave His life for us. To free us and give us a way back to Him. There is no greater or truer love than God!
His love is also everlasting. It is eternal and lasts forever. He loves us with a love that never ends. He always has and always will. It is with His lovingkindness that He does this. Lovingkindness is a tender, benevolent affection, with His goodness, mercy and compassion. He is continually drawing us to himself, however, are we responding? Matthew 22:37 Jesus says: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your power, and with all your mind. This is a command that appears in scripture multiple times. However, are we allowing the Lord to love us and how do we properly love Him back?
It is through intimacy that we learn to love the Lord and allow Him to love us back. Intimacy is the state of being close to and familiar with someone. We can not get close to someone or become familiar with them if we do not spend any time with them. I know that it often helps me to recall the truths that I know about God. Here are a few that I pray will allow you to love Him more and in return, allow Him to love you back even more.
God is our creator and He knows us better than anyone else ever could. Because He knows everything about us we can come to Him just as we are. We don’t have to wait until we consider ourselves good enough or fixed. We can be real and honest with Him. We can trust Him with who we are. This includes all the good and bad. All of our feelings, including the really hard and awful ones.
We can ask God to show Himself to us. We can ask Him to show us who He is as our Father, our friend, our Healer, our Comforter, our Peace, and our Protector. We can ask Him to reveal who He is in all of His names. It is His will that we would seek Him, get to know Him and love Him! Remember Matthew 22:37 from above.
We do have to remember that our idea of love can be skewed. We often base “love” on how well or not someone else loves us. Our spouses, parents, friends, etc. do not determine God’s love for us. People fall short but God does not. I know there have been times that I have put God in the same place as others in my life. Basing His love off of how I felt, I’ve kept Him at a distance like I would others. His love is also not dependent on how well we perform, how much work we do, how we look or the things we have. His love is solely based on who He is and what He has done for us. Praise God for that!
The verse that came to mind when thinking of intimacy is, Psalm 34:8, Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. We get to make the choice to seek Him. Deciding to let go of our fear and let down our guard. We get to talk to Him, to ask questions and build an everlasting relationship with Him! To trust that He is who He says He is and experience Him for ourselves. Loving God is not just a feeling but a continual choice. That’s what makes it so special.
He doesn’t force us into a relationship with Him but invites us and draws us near with His lovingkindness. God chose to show us His love us by paying the ultimate price with His son Jesus. He continues to love us by dwelling within us and giving us free access to Him. His arms are always outstretch and His voice is always calling. He holds us and cares for us. God’s love is unlike anything else we could ever experience and there’s always more! It never runs out so just keep running to Him!
Prayer:
Lord we thank you that you loved us first and with a love that never ends. We
thank you that you have chosen each of us and that you are continually drawing
us to you. That you’ve put a desire within us that cannot be satisfied by anything
but you! We pray against anything that is keeping us from drawing near to you. We rebuke fear and declare clarity in your name Jesus. We ask that you would open our hearts and give us a deeper desire to seek you and receive your love.
Allowing ourselves to be continually filled by you. Thank you Lord for your
everlasting love and lovingkindness. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Questions:
1.) Take some time to sit quietly with the Lord. Ask Him to show you anything that is keeping you from drawing closer to Him. Once He does, ask Him how to be released of this and choose to come closer to Him.
2.) Ask the Lord to reveal to you who He is as one of His names. There are many! Try writing down, drawing, painting or being creative as you experience Him in this new way.