God’s Captivating Love

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not.” - 1 John 3:1

According to this passage, God’s love is the root of our love for him. “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)  God’s love is the fundamental source of our identity. Our relationship with Christ is founded upon the overwhelming love of God.

We live in a culture saturated with a twisted concept of love. When I scroll through social media or play through the podcast in my feed, I see that “self-love” is quite a common theme. I realized that the world’s perception of love is so shallow, in comparison to the depth of our Savior’s blood. As I dwelt at the vast difference, I discovered some attributes of God’s love.

1. God’s love is captivating

From the time Jesus was born to his earthly ministry, he couldn’t seem to keep the fans away. His love drew the shepherds near to the manger and led the wise men to present him with gifts. As he taught and told his parables, people were drawn to him. His love was a magnet that attracted all those around him. Even the little children surrounded him, why? They were captivated by the loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus. 

Jeremiah 31:3 says, “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” 

2. God’s love is compelling

God’s love compels us to take action. We have the ability to receive God’s love or to reject it. The overwhelming, never ending love of Christ causes us to make a decision in the direction of God or away from him. The word “compel” means to powerfully urge along a line of conduct. While physical force is not involved, some impulse is so great that it evokes a strong inclination to respond appropriately. In this case, the impulse is the love of Christ, which is so immense that it demands a response as complete and radical as His love for us. Jesus laid down his life for us so that we could be set free. His sacrificial love compels us to serve Him.

 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says “For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should.” 

3. God’s love is conquering

God’s love is not only captivating and compelling, it is also conquering. The idea of conquering implies a battle being fought and as a result there would be victors and losers. In the Bible, we find that this is a reality. There is a spiritual battle waging between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. While in physical wars we fight with weapons, God’s weapon is love. God’s love conquers all things. Whether it be sin, fear, or confusion - and everything in between - God’s love conquers all things. 

Romans 8:37 says “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” 

4. God’s love is calling. 

The love of God calls us to higher ground. His love causes us to share it with others, just as He did. The love of God gives us the desire to fulfill the great commission. Mark 16:15 says, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel.” God desires for each of His beloved followers to reach out to those who are lost. Remember, John 3:16 tells us that his love reached the whole world, not just a select few. As believers, it is our calling to share our faith. God’s love is calling you to share his love with others in order to bring light into their life. If you are a follower of Jesus, you and I have the same ultimate calling: to make Him known and bring Him glory. (Jamie Ivey)

When God’s love captivates us, it compels us to take action, and conquers our sin & shame. Once our sin has been conquered through the blood of Jesus, we are left with our calling. Will you allow the love of God to cause you to call non-believers to Him? The two greatest commandments are to love the Lord with all of our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves. When we love Jesus over everything and we love our neighbors, we will want to share the good news with them!