Passionate love.

Last week we touched on God’s everlasting love. I briefly mentioned how God’s kindness leads us to repentance and I think I should expand on that. But first, Romans 5:8 says, “But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us by dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly!”

Not only does God’s love know no beginning or end, He loved us at our very worst. Have you ever realised that some people come into your life and they are good to you and they love you when everything is going well and come the day you hit rock bottom, they are nowhere to be found? We’ve all been there in a place where we felt let down by people, deserted and alone.

But our verse today tells us that God doesn’t just love us because we are saved. Other translations use this phrase, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. That is while you were on rock bottom, while you were taking drugs or smoking weed, while you were up in the club doing you, while you were having that abortion, while you were doing that thing that cannot be mentioned because this is a PG post. Yes, while you were at whatever you consider to have been your worst behaviour, God loved you passionately and thought you were worth dying for.

We do not have to earn God’s love. He already loves us. Now let me tie this in with God’s kindness leading us to repentance. I find that the more I realise how much God loves me, how much He is for me, how He loves me no matter what state I’m in, I don’t feel more inclined to sin. In fact, I find myself crying at the thought of such a love that it makes me want to be better. It makes me say, “Ok God, help me to become a better version of myself”.

Not so He can love me more because He couldn’t love me more. His love for us is at 100% capacity 100% of the time! So, I ask God to help me step out of sin because I know the price He paid for me to be able to overcome sin. I also know that sin separates me from God. So, I want to become a better version of me so I can walk in close relationship with Him because that kind of love that God has for us, is uncommon. You can’t experience it and let it go because there is none other like it. When you really truly begin to experience God’s love, it pulls you into His loving arms.

God’s love is not something He just wants you to read about in a blog post or hear someone preach on. God’s love is to be experienced in our everyday lives. Begin to ask God to take you on a journey where you experience first-hand His passionate love for you. Ask Him to make Scripture come alive to you that You may see Him as you read the pages of your Bible. Ask Him to show you how much He loves you. God is waiting to hear those kinds of prayers and He will be quick to answer you.

You are loved and you are worthy of love. No matter your past or present, God passionately loves you. So stop allowing small things get in the way of you experiencing this love that God has for you.

Love and blessings,

Melissa Tsingano.