Of all the emotions that humans can feel and express, love is one of the most powerful. It can potentially change lives, society, and even the nation. It empowers people to do what they never believed that they could do. Yet this emotion has been thoroughly misused and even recently made almost synonymous with sex and sexuality.

When you seek to understand the word love, you realize that there are several different types of love.

• The love between family
• The love between friends
• The love between lovers/partners
• The love of God

Of all these, the love of God is the greatest. This is the love that Paul described to be greater than any gift or any virtue {1 Corinthians 13:1-3}. This love is not based on any character or action that the recipient possesses or has taken. It simply is, and its basis is actually God because God is Love. It does not fade or cease to exist because of any offense.

As Christians, we are called to share this love abroad not just with our friends, family, and fellow Christians but also with strangers and unbelievers. What makes this love so different from the other things that people call love? Why is it so important that we show this love to everyone? And how can we develop this love in our hearts? These are some of the questions we attempt to address today

Characteristics of God’s love

Love can be defined as a feeling of deep affection. It can often develop as we relate with people because of how they treat us or what we benefit from them. Often referred to as agapé love, God’s love is unconditional. This is the kind of love God has for us and expects us to show to others. What are the attributes that differentiate this love from every other type?

1. It is irrespective of personal attributes or circumstances: when you ask people why they love the people they love, they’ll usually read off a laundry list of glowing attributes – beauty, kindness, character, physical traits, etc. God’s love is not based on anything you do or are; it does not depend on your race, temperament, or intelligence. No matter who you are, God loves you no matter what you’ve done. In the same way, we are supposed to love others irrespective of who they are, free of any human bias. This requires the grace of God.
2. It is incomprehensible to the human mind: the love of God. Having such a limitless love, undeserved, unwavering, can be difficult or impossible to understand. To really understand it requires the help of the Holy spirit {Romans 5:5}, and a deep perusal of and meditation on the word of God.
3. It is not easily offended: God’s love is so generous, and even when offended, when we go against God’s laid down rules, he forgives us easily and doesn’t hold a grudge as long as you are truly repentant. This love prompts God to keep his arms open to you, even when you think you have misused all opportunities and God could not possibly give you another chance. The fact is that nothing can separate you from God’s love. {Romans 8:37-38}
4. It lasts forever: Sin separates you from God, but it cannot quench God’s love for you. Therefore, God’s love does not rejoice in sin {1 Corinthians 13:6}- indeed, it hurts God terribly. God’s love starts even before you are conceived and continues forever.
5. It is not selfish; we can sacrifice anything: This love is so great that while we were still sinners, God made the ultimate sacrifice by sending his precious son to die for us so that we could be reunited with him {John 3:16, Romans 5:7-8}. We are the most precious possession in God’s sight, worth any price.
6. It breeds more of itself: you can’t keep it in when you experience God’s love. It fills you with joy that bubbles up in expressions of love for all of God’s creation {1 John 4:20}.
7. It is kind and patient: {1 Corinthians 13:4} The love of God inspires his all-encompassing compassion, his mercy that endures forever. It is patient, waiting for us only to seek it.

Why do we need to have and give God’s love?

• It is a basic need: inside each person is a space that God’s love can only fill. Everyone needs to know God’s deep and unconditional love. When we have God’s love in our hearts, we can share this love with all that we meet.
• It is a command: When asked which of the laws was the greatest, Jesus mentioned two laws that focused on love, for God and our fellow man {Mark 12:28-31, John 13:34-35}. This passage also qualifies how we are expected to love God (with all our spirit, soul, and body) and others (as yourself).
• God is love: {1 John 4:7-8} God is not only a God of love, but love is His true essence. As his children, exhibiting this trait of God’s love for others is especially important. This is the proof of our knowledge of and love for God.
• It strengthens you in times of adversity: the knowledge of God’s love can give us strength during our trials to persevere. God’s love chases out any fear because the knowledge of God’s love cannot coexist with fear {1 John 4:18}.

How to experience the love of God in our heart

• Meditate on the scriptures: the word of God reveals to us God’s plans for our lives as well as his desire about how we should live {Hebrews 12:14}.
• Pray: the love of God can be experienced by praying in the spirit. As you pray and develop your relationship with God, his love will flow within you and through you. Praying for others is also a good way to express God’s love to them.
• Make a conscious decision to be a channel for God’s love as the Holy Spirit helps you: this involves deciding not just to accept and experience God’s love for yourself but also to share it with others. You can do this by being compassionate, giving, praying for others, forgiving, and in other ways, as the spirit leads.

Conclusion

God is love. His laws, His desires for us as his creation is grounded in love- a special type of love that doesn’t quit, doesn’t let go. When we truly experience the love of God through the Holy Spirit, it changes our lives, fills us with joy, and chases every fear. We are also called upon to be channels for God’s love, actively spreading his love everywhere we go.