To feel cherished, valued as priceless, and like we belong is to live in the precious, true love of Christ, full of his grace and mercy. How can we experience or live in Christ’s true love on this broken earth in our imperfect bodies? We can dwell in Christ’s amazing love every day of our lives when we walk hand in hand with him.
Where Love Originates
The only true, pure, unconditional love comes from God. “God is love.” (1 John 4:8, TLB) Before God made us from His love, He loved us. However, God knew the fall of man into sin would erect a veil that separated our hearts, minds, emotions, and very souls from instantly feeling and knowing God’s love at birth.
Our loving Father’s plan included a way for all of the people He created to choose to be saved. “God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into this wicked world to bring to us eternal life through his death. In this act we see what real love is: it is not our love for God but his love for us when he sent his Son to satisfy God’s anger against our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10, TLB)
Scripture says, “Anyone who believes and says that Jesus is the Son of God has God living in him, and he is living with God.” (1 John 4:15, TLB) In our imperfect human condition, we are challenged to realize all of the aspects of God’s love. We can’t fathom how much Christ’s love for us cost him, making it difficult for us to accept that we are worthy of their choice to love us. If we are not taught that we are responsible for studying God’s word and how to study it, we can’t fully understand, accept, or thrive in their love.
Falling and Staying in Love with Jesus
As a disciple of Christ, Jesus teaches us. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37, NIV) God’s greatest commandment keeps us focused on His pure love first. Jesus knew when you dwell in God’s love, God flows through you.
To love God is to study His word. As we study, we see God’s love in the lives of Christ’s disciples and how they shared his Gospel. Jesus shows us how to dwell in God’s love through the example of his life, death, and resurrection. We also find guides and precepts to help us overcome our tests, trials, and the challenges in this broken world from the apostle Paul’s life.
The lives, lessons, revelations, miracles, and love of God and Jesus shared in the Bible reveal the enormous fullness of God’s and Christ’s love. No fantasy of love we create or the love from an imperfect person on this broken earth could ever compare to the true pure love of Christ. Never forget, Jesus loved you so much that he chose to die for you. Let Jesus have your heart, mind, and every aspect of your life and you will fall in love with him.
We are Christ’s Love in the World
When we keep Jesus as our first love, he fills us to overflowing. Our overabundance of his love makes it possible for us to love others as we love ourselves. It brings grace, mercy, respect, freedom, responsibility, and healthy boundaries so we can continue to grow in his pure love.
As we grow in a personal relationship with Jesus every day, he transforms our love into his pure love more and more. The abundance of our love makes other people notice there is something different about us that they wish they had. Their curiosity is our opportunity to share Christ’s love and Gospel in our attitudes, words, and actions.
Christ Disciples Love Like Him
Jesus made two statements about being his disciple.
- “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35, NIV)
- “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32, NIV)
The only way to live with your one true FOREVER love is to dwell with Jesus every day. This broken world is not our forever home, thank God! One day Jesus will come for us and take us to be with him and live in his love FOREVER!
Let’s use our lives to experience Christ’s love and share his saving gospel to the world. Christ’s saving grace and mercy is the very reason Jesus came to earth. His pure love allows us to live in it in our imperfect human condition. What a picture of pure love!
If you struggle to understand Christ’s love, you are not alone. It took me over forty years and enduring three abusive marriages that ended in divorces to whole-heartedly surrender and see Christ’s love design. God helped me see His revelation in Scripture. Jesus showed me my life’s lessons, and he helped me write a clear success path to dwell in his pure love. My life is proof that when Jesus is your one true forever love, all things are possible!
Ready to take your understanding of Christ’s love to the next level? Order your copy of Quest for Exceptional Love, Transform your love and relationships through Christ’s love design.
To find encouragement and support for the challenges you face every day, join my private Facebook group Growing Through God’s Transforming Grace.
