” … the Love that Christ cherishes for me … “
Paul understood deeply the Love of God, that it wasn't just that God loved him but that He cherished the Love that He had for Paul. Share on X
” … presses on me from all sides, holding me to one end, prohibiting me from considering any other, wrapping itself around me in tenderness, giving me an impelling motive, … namely, that One died on behalf of all … in order that those who are living no longer are living for themselves but for the One Who died on their behalf and instead of them, and was raised.” ( II Corinthians 5:14,15, Wuest). The Apostle Paul understood deeply the Love of God, that it wasn’t just that God loved him but that He cherished the Love that He had for Paul. And he was keenly aware that this intense, unending, unchanging Love was not just to be enjoyed by him and kept to himself; indeed, that was impossible, and he says so in verse 14 of II Corinthians 5: It pressed upon him in such a way that he could in no way consider any other goal nor have any other motive than to live for this One Who had given up His Life for him, and therefore it was unthinkable to judge anyone according to human standards (v.15,16). So we can safely say that the more deeply we understand that God loves us in such a way as Paul declared, not only will we love Him but also the brethren (I John 4:20,21), and the more we will live from that Love and for the purpose of making Him known to others, both saved and unsaved.
” We know …and believe and rely on the Love God cherishes for us. … “
God Loves Loving Us Share on X
The Apostle John also understood the exquisite and eternal quality of God’s Love for us. Twice in this his first epistle, and in one chapter, he clearly writes that we love Him because He first loved us (I John 4:10,19). The Lord Himself deemed this so important that He told the Church at Ephesus that He had one charge against them, even after He had edified them for their patience and perseverance in their trials: ” ‘But I have this … against you: that you have abandoned first Love.’ Then He called upon them to repent – i.e., to get their hearts re-aligned to the Love that He had for them (Revelation 2:3-5). And as we know, it was John himself who penned these words as the Holy Spirit gave them to him, John, who five times in his Gospel referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loves”! John, who unselfconsciously reciprocated that Love to the Lord, following Him closely, even to the Cross and to His trial before Caiphas, Annas, and Pilate; John, who leaned upon the bosom of the Lord Jesus at the Last Supper, and I believe even did so often; John, who was to recognize that it was the Lord Who was “present” with him and the other disciples while they were fishing after His resurrection, giving them spot-on instructions from the beach while preparing breakfast for His friends. John got ahold of this Love that God cherishes for us so deeply, but many didn’t.
” Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem …!”
They were blind to Who He was, to the Father Who had sent Him, cold towards the Love that motivated God to send His Only Begotten Son to them. Share on X
How it grieved the Lord Jesus when His Love was rejected by the very ones that the Father initially sent Him to draw to Himself. He cried out in Matthew 23:37 to them: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, …! How often would I have gathered your children together as a mother fowl gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused!” They were blind to Who He was, to the Father Who had sent Him, cold towards the Love that motivated God to send His Only Begotten Son to them. Yes, the Father so loved the whole world that He did this, but He sent Him personally to His own chosen ones first. Sadly, they didn’t receive or welcome Him (John 1:11,12). Undoubtedly this grieved our Savior, but it didn’t stop or deter Him from fulfilling His Father’s purpose for sending Him. Even during His brief pilgrimage on earth He never once doubted His Father’s Love and was confident that His Will would be done on earth as it is in Heaven, because there was none greater than His Father. His mindset was “For the Lord God helps Me; therefore have I not been ashamed or confounded. Therefore have I set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.” (Isaiah 50:7). He continually rested in His Father’s Love, as did the Father ..
” The Lord your God … will rest in His Love … “
His rest in His Love will never change because He has loved us with an everlasting Love (Jer.31:3). Share on X
Zephaniah 3:14-17 paints an altogether lovely and accurate picture of Who our loving God is, of what He’s like, and of what He has done for us. In verse 17 Zephaniah writes, “The Lord your God in the midst of you is Mighty! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest in His Love …” One translation says that He rests in His Love and in “silent satisfaction” because He has purposed to not recall any of our sins and thus will make no mention of them. Remember our God is a God Who loves Mercy and delights in those who hope in His Mercy (Micah 7:18; Psalm 147:11). In fact, He would rather give Mercy than issue judgment: “Mercy rejoices over judgment.” (James 2:13) His rest in His Love will never change because He has loved us with an everlasting Love (Jer.31:3).
“Do you love Me?”
Our response to this extravagant, infinite, unchanging Love that God cherishes for us is something that the Lord takes notice of and even rewards. Share on X
After Peter had denied the Lord three times at a most crucial time during His trial, the Word of God says that after the cock had crowed, “the Lord turned and looked at Peter. … And he went out and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:60,61). Then after Jesus’ resurrection when Peter met Him on the shore with the other disciples who had gone fishing with him, how did the Lord deal with Peter’s sin? He made no mention of it! He simply asked the guilty apostle, “Peter, do you love Me?” Three times. The disciple’s response to this question was so important to the Lord. Likewise, our response to this exquisite, extravagant, infinite, unchanging Love that God cherishes for us is something that the Lord takes notice of and even rewards. In Psalm 91:14 the Lord Himself says, “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My Name [has a personal knowledge of My Mercy, Love, and Kindness … ]”. Romans 8:28, which comforts many throughout their lives, promises: “God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God …”. Then we see the reward, the honor, that was given to John, the disciple who was so persuaded of the Lord’s Love for him: being entrusted with the care of His precious mother. Much more could be said of this persuasion of the Apostle John and of its benefits to him who understood so clearly and even wrote in his first epistle that we only love God because He first loved us. He was indeed a constant and convinced believer in the Love that the Lord cherished for him … and we too can, by His abundant Grace, be likewise!
“The Core Conviction of the Revivalists”
God's defining character trait is LOVE, and He loves ALL of mankind with an everlasting Love. Share on X
Believing the Love that God cherishes for us is not for our benefit only though. Remember what Paul wrote in Galatians 5:14-16, that this very Love that God had for him held him to one end and gave him an impelling motive to live through and for the One Who had died for all, and to therefore know no-one after the flesh. Recently I read Joel Rosenberg’s booklet “Inside the Revival” which told of the amazing move of the Holy Spirit in the Middle East in particular, with hundreds of thousands coming to Christ during the first decade of the 21st century. The core conviction of the Revivalists, as these new and seasoned believers alike were called, is this that God’s defining character trait is LOVE, and that He loves all of mankind with an everlasting Love. This persuasion has motived them to live with the same confession of Paul, cited in the beginning of this post: “None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, if only I may finish my course with joy and the ministry that the Lord Jesus gave me, which is to preach the Gospel of Grace.” (Acts 20:14) This indeed is characteristic of Christians who are fully persuaded of the Love that God has for them. Let us also be those who are propelled forward to obey the Great Commission because we are convinced that God just simply loves loving us and will never change His Mind about us nor stop resting in His Love for us.
- Learning to Love Mercy - October 11, 2026
- God Loves Loving Us - September 13, 2026
- “By One … Many … “ - August 8, 2026