Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited, does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.   1 Corinthians 13:4-8 HCSB

This scripture passage describes God and the love He shows for us.  God loves us unconditionally (John 3:16).  He didn’t say that if we could learn to behave properly that He would save us.  He sent his son to die for our sins while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).

But what if God were like us? What if God refused to forgive us, no matter how much we begged?  What if God held a grudge?  What if we made one little mistake and God just washed his hands of us?  What if God kept score?  We would certainly be in a mess if God behaved like we do.  If God gave in to fleshly desires, then basically our world would be ruled by the devil.  It’s the devil that doesn’t love.  It’s the devil that is self serving.  It’s the devil that wants to destroy us.  It’s the devil that delights in evil and encourages us to devise wicked schemes.

So when we live according to the flesh, we are behaving like the devil.  You see there are no gray areas here.  God and the devil are polar opposites and they have nothing in common.  The Bible tells us that we were made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26).  He gave us free will so we can choose to act like God and behave as God behaves or we can choose to act and behave like the devil.

When we refuse to forgive and forget, we are not honoring God.  God not only forgives our sins, but we are told that he removes them as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12).  We are expected to do the same (Matthew 6:15).  Our scripture passage tells us what love should and should not look like.  When we don’t exhibit that kind of love, we are not honoring God.

We have a choice each and every day.  We can exemplify God or we can exemplify the devil.  Now when it comes to how we want to be treated there is no doubt that we would want someone to show us the kind of love that God shows us.  So if we want to be treated that way, then we should treat others that way.  Luke 6:31, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

I don’t know about you, but I am eternally grateful that God is a loving God.  I am so grateful that He sent His son to die a humiliating death on the cross to save me from my sins.  I am thrilled that He will forgive my sin just for the asking and forget all about it.  I am secure in His love.  I am at peace knowing that He is in control. I am just so happy that He doesn’t treat me like I sometimes treat others.

1 John 4:11-12 sums it up very well for us, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

We can be secure and at peace because God is steady and strong and loves us unconditionally.  We know that we all have sinned and fall short of his glory (Romans 3:23) but we also know that He is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9).  Just imagine if we all strived to be more like God, how awesome it would be.  Earth would be more like heaven.  Think about it.

Have a great day!