The love of God is greater far
Than gold or silver ever could afford
It reaches past the highest star
And covers all the world

The ladies in our church recently did a Bible study on God’s love. The intent was to encourage those who struggle to believe that God really loves them. My initial reaction was, If you believe the words of John 3:16, how could you doubt God’s love? But the reality is that many people do, including Christians.

As a teenager, I struggled with this myself, but in hindsight, I don’t know if I really doubted God’s love or if I just didn’t understand it. Regardless, one day I finally realized that to doubt God’s love was the equivalent of slapping Him in the face. People want God to prove His love, but He already did that. If sacrificing His Son isn’t proof enough, there is nothing else that God can do.

I bristle when people talk about God’s unconditional love because the emphasis is on how there is nothing we can do to earn God’s love. Although this is true, God is also a just God. I like how Paul put it in Romans 6:1-2:

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

If you are a child of God, the question shouldn’t be, Does God love me? It should be, Do I love God? Do I really love Him? In deed as well as in word? I encourage you to ponder that this week and look for ways show your love.