God Is Love {pt. 2}

   

 “I have loved you with an everlasting love — out of faithfulness I have drawn you close." Jeremiah 31:3 {Voice translation}

     Today is part two of the God Is Love series, and I invite you to join me as we dive into the verse above.

     Loved! That's what you are Beautiful! Loved beyond anything you've ever dreamed possible. In Jeremiah 31:3 God talks about having loved you with an everlasting love. Everlasting and forever both have the same meaning, and we all know that forever is a really really long time. So what this verse is trying to say is that way before you even existed, God already loved you. God's love is always going to be right there. It will never leave you! His love for you does not depend on your performance. He accepts you right where you're at, and starts loving on you. He doesn't need to wait till you've put your life back in order. As a matter of fact his love is one of the best tools to aid in the process. He wants nothing more than for you to allow him to love you.

     

     In the second part of the verse he talks about drawing you close through faithfulness. The dictionary has many good definitions for the word faithfulness. Here's a few of my favorites...

• The act of staying true to one's word.
• Loyalty
• Constant

     Let's take a look at the first definition... If God say's that through faithfulness he has drawn you close, he's saying, "Because I am true to my word, I have drawn you close". If there's one thing you need to know about God it's that he does not back out on his promises. What he says, goes! So in order to find out what his promises are, you need to go searching in his Word - the Bible. It has promise after promise,including promises about the love he has for you. So if he never breaks a promise I think it's safe to say that his promises of love for you include him drawing you close. He wants to be with you!

     Next definition... "Because I am loyal, I have drawn you close." Here God is telling you that he doesn't plan on deserting you. He plans to stay, right there close to you. Of course, ultimately it's your choice if you want to allow him to stay, but he will never leave you. Ever!

     Last definition... "Because I am constant, I have drawn you close." This definition is similar to the last one in that it talks about the fact that God will always remain. Even when you feel broken, God is constant. Even when you feel unworthy of love, God is constant. Even when you feel alone, God is constant. No matter what, God is always constant!!

     I don't know about you, but that sounds like a love that I can trust. That sounds like something real. It's not just a fairy tale. It's better than that! It's God's love. In closing I'd like to share these reminders with you. 

• God has always loved you, and will always love you.
• God's love meets you right where you are.
• God's love remains true, loyal, and constant.