Good News About Love for a New Year
I’m not going to say, I have good news and bad news, since that’s not true.
But I am going to share good news and God news about love to remember all throughout this year. And it’s based on an extraordinary love story.
Last week we talked about the best hope for a new year. This week we look at love.
So, what is love?
Love is one of those loose and hard to define terms we overuse and misuse.
Instead of like, we use love for everything from possessions and food to our favorite sports teams and celebrities.
We love ice-cream, brands, songs, books, and our favorite movies.
News That’s Not New
Honestly, I use love to describe my affections for cinnamon rolls, pasta, Chai tea lattes, boots, Hallmark movies, and sunsets. But that’s only a few of my loves.
Still, we struggle to understand love—a feeling or an emotion?
In life’s hard moments, we may lose the loving feeling. For me, abandonment extinguished the emotion. Like when my dad vanished from my life for a few years.
Furthermore, culture woos us with a shallow love from people, things, and false ideas and religions.
Sometimes love fades when hearts break. My heart broke after friendships dissolved and family members died including a baby in utero. I lost hope in love.
Good, Good News
Then, there’s this: For a portion of my life, I wondered, Am I lovable?
Inside chatter tried to convince me otherwise. Internal voices mocked true love. Only the lovely, the best, the deserving—basically, the cream of the crop—meet the standards.
I assumed love only thrived in shiny things and people.
Ever wondered if you are lovable? Or, maybe like me, you’ve questioned what it takes for others to consider you someone worth loving.
How do we secure love without prerequisites? A kissing-tear-wiping-make-it-better-kind-of-love.
There’s good news and God news. Although less outwardly frilly, a timeless love exists that’s unfailing and undying.
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, came to earth and died for us on Calvary’s cross. Why? Because…
God loves us, this we know, for the Bible tells us so. It’s good, good news!
God News
This good news exposes God news: God’s love is past, present, and future tense.
He loved us in the womb. He loves us today and tomorrow and every day into the future.
God’s love is past, present, and future tense. He loved us in the womb. He loves us today and tomorrow and every day into the future. Click To TweetHis love is a sure love…never lost, only found.
And it gives us hope in a guaranteed pledge of love that’s never eliminated from our lives.
“This I call to mind and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end.” Lamentations 3:21-22 (ESV)
We have a guaranteed pledge of love that’s never eliminated from our lives. "This I call to mind and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end." Lamentations 3:21-22 (ESV) Click To TweetNo matter the outcome of our experiences with other types of love. The writer of Lamentations reminds us of hope in God’s steadfast love.
God’s love is loyal, unwavering, unconditional, dependable, and never ceases…ever.
Regardless of what others say or think or do: I am lovable. You are lovable.
An Extraordinary Love Story
God’s love reaches beyond our human understanding. Our thinking is only ordinary; God encompasses everything that is extraordinary because He is a supernatural being. Which makes His love for us out of this world.
Look at how this love is described in Ephesians 3:18-19 when the Apostle Paul noted how he prayed for the church:
“may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (NIV, emphasis added)
God loves us, this we know, for the Bible tells us so. It’s good, good news! Click To Tweet
What part of this good news and God news about love baffles your mind while bringing comfort to your heart?
Featured images used from filming for our YouTube Channel, Friday’s Forever.
Sometimes I participate in these link-ups:
Legacy Linkup/Inspire Me Monday/Tell His Story/Recharge Wednesday/Let’s Have Coffee/Tune in Thursday/Embracing the Unexpected (Grace & Truth).
© 2023 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
I’m so thankful for the Lord’s absolute, steady, never failing love. We’re flawed human beings all, typically not even grateful for what He has done, and yet Jesus still came to lay down His life for us, seeking us for His own. That is true love, enduring, never ending love.
Beautifully said, Melinda. What love! What amazing love we have in Christ. May we never get over it or make light of it.
How God can love me on my unlovable days baffles me. He knows my thoughts and still loves me. He is hard to understand but I’m so thankful for His amazing, unmerited love each and every day.
I am so grateful too, Yvonne. The Lord’s love is never based on anything we do or don’t do. He is love.
I am thankful every day for God’s unfailing love for me and every human being on earth. It’s not something I can grasp intellectually, but is, rather, a pure act of faith. May He continue to bless us all with His awesome love!
Blessings, Karen!
Martha, I like how you said this about God’s love, “It’s not something I can grasp intellectually, but is, rather, a pure act of faith.” We believe and know God loves us. Something I like to think about and share with others: I live loved by the Savior and walk in freedom.
Amen. His love is forever. We can find comfort in His love.
Melissa, it is such a comforting, deep and wide love.
As usual, you’ve got me thinking deeply about your message/post today Ms. Karen. While we know that God is love, and thus, the very concept of love comes from Him, I had to consider the word. As you point out, there are varying kinds of love, and we often assign the word to things, but if we’re really looking at it, God did not create love to be attached to things. I thought about the love my adopted mom, dad, and siblings had/have for me, and I for them. Then there’s the love for our children. Those I’ve cared for, invested in, raised, taught, and encouraged. I consider the immense, life-sacrificing love I have for my dear Ms. Diane. Then, I consider the love-bond I have with my Savior; a love that exceeds all other. It is that source of His agape love that fuels the love I can extend and share to others. It is God’s love that fuels all other emotions that we use to emulate that which we feel in His presence. I thought also about how we so often stand on the promise that God will never withdraw His love from us, and I think, “He will never withdraw His love from His children.” I am saddened to think that one day He will in fact withdraw His love from those who have turned their backs on Him and hardened their hearts against them. It’s a sadness that I can’t fathom, but because it’s there, I am compelled to shine the light of His love into this darkened world as best I can. The thought of watching as those I’ve known are sentenced to eternity separated from their Creator God troubles me deeply. “I must try harder to reach them with God’s love.” You’ve moved me today sweet sister.
I’m so grateful the Lord never withdraws His love from us. We’d be back in the mire and muck, lost without His love. Like you, I hope to be more diligent and intentional to share the love of Christ, this good, good news, with others who are blinded to the truth and His love. When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, not one time did He compromise truth in order to love people. Not one time. God bless!
I marvel that God thinks of the piece of dust that I am, that He cares about what I care about. Great message, Karen. God bless!
“Marvel” is a great word, Nancy. I marvel at how high and wide and deep and long is the love of God!
Jesus’ love is baffling to me, Karen. I am thankful that He looked down and saw me and others in love even though we didn’t love Him. His is a love unconditional and undeserved. He loves the unlovable. It doesn’t make sense but it’s true and here for all. Thank you for focusing our hearts on His love.
Well said, Stephan. I’m so thankful God’s love is a timeless love that’s unfailing and undying.
Amen to this. I like to think of love as a verb more than an emotion… or even think of love as a perspective. But love is always because God loved us first. He sees us and loves us, creates a way for us, in spite of all we do or have done.
It truly is a verb, an action, isn’t it, Jessica? Love is a choice we make and once we know the love of Christ, He grows His love in us that hopefully spills over onto others.
We do throw the word around a lot. I “love” 🙂 how you point out that God’s love covers all of time. That’s something to ponder.
Thank you, Debbie. I’m so grateful God’s love is past, present and future tense.
Thanks for reminding us how extravagant God’s love is toward His children, Karen! 🤗 Stopping by from #tuneinthursday
Appreciate you stopping by, Laura. God’s love reaches beyond our human understanding. We can rest in the extraordinary way He loves.
Karen, we sang “Jesus Loves Me,” in church today. Beautiful words. I am so grateful for God’s steadfast love. ❤
So am I, Deborah. His love is a sure love…never lost, only found.
God’s steadfast love is a wonderful topic to start the year! We live in challenging times but we can find joy in god’s love,
Hi Carol, God’s great love is at the heart of the gospel. Remembering this changes everything. God bless.
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