God of Love

This post is by Jen Shultz.

February is popular for showing how much you love your other half based on monetary expenditures. The dozens of long stem roses that will wilt and fade or red; heart-shaped boxes filled with chocolates have long since been the standard that commercialization created. I will be the first to say that I love both flowers and chocolate, but hear me out—even the most expensive flowers or the best chocolate money can buy do not equate to real love.  

Love, God’s love to be specific, is my favorite thing to talk about, to lead with, and to share. It is one of those subjects that just fills my spiritual, emotional, and mental cup to the point it has no choice but to bubble over. It comforts me in the most difficult times and pours out of me in the best of times. 

So, being asked to write this month about love was a beautiful gift and albeit not housed in the aforementioned heart-shaped box, this month I want to give you 14 reminders that God’s love is not of this world. It is so, so very much more than we can even fathom, friend. 

1. Invincible Love “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.” Romans 8:38-39
2. Unfailing Love “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” 1 Corinthians 13:8
3. Harmonious Love “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:14
4. Seeking Love  “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away!” Matthew 18:12-13
5. Forgiving Love “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32
6. Victorious Love “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” Romans 8:37
7. Encouraging Love “As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength.” Psalm 138:3
8. Restorative Love “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.” Psalms 51:12
9. Patient Love “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud.” 1 Corinthians 13:4
10. Lavish Love “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1
11. Sacrificial Love “This is real love- not that we loved God, but that he loves us and sent his son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” 1 John 4:1
12. Fearless Love “But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1
13. Enduring Love “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1
14. Legacy of Love “We love each other because he loved us first.” 1 John 4:19 

I pray that you are surrounded by so many examples of God’s love, friend. May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is and if you are able, to share that with someone near and dear to you. With Love- Jen

Jen is a small town, Oklahoma girl married to a superhero. Together, they are raising a family on second chances, shiplap, and a shoestring. She is a firm believer in grace, organization, and efficiency. She finds great satisfaction in taking broken items and giving them new life, likely because that is exactly what God did for her. She over uses the word shine, exclamation points, and emojis. Jen calls her children her greatest accomplishments. A natural born encourager and armchair warrior, she is learning to redefine her mission field and make the most of each day she is given. She has recently been promoted from breast cancer warrior to breast cancer survivor. She’s chronically ill and chronically positive- not necessarily in that order. She is learning to practice perseverance over perfection and longs for the day she gets to see her grandparents and Jesus’ face. Until then, she is just looking for Grace in the Grind.

Photo by eniko kis on Unsplash