Love Is, Love Did, Love Does.
“I praise ‘cause you’re sovereign, praise ‘cause you reign, praise ‘cause you rose and defeated the grave. I praise ‘cause you’re faithful, praise ‘cause you’re true, praise ‘cause there’s nobody greater than you.”
“Praise” by Elevation Worship is one of my favorite songs we get to sing as a church. This line in particular encapsulates God’s love in a way that reminds that He is who He is. Nothing and no one can ever change that. That consistency, that faithfulness, that foundation is what I need on those days where loving myself is a little harder to do. I’m learning that to have a healthy relationship with yourself first starts by having a healthy view and relationship of God. Jesus Christ is the best example and teacher of what love is.
I love how in God’s “doing”, you can see God “being”. He is a daily reminder that love did and love does. 1 John 4:16 says that God is love, but what does that mean? Let’s look at an example of his love and dive in.
He forgives us (It’s what he does). Why? There’s many reasons why but I’ll focus on one.
🔸He forgives us to release us from shame.
Why? Because shame is bondage and God wants us to be free.
Why? Because in freedom we can experience the fullness of life beyond our present mistake.
Let’s go deeper. What does this say about God’s character?
🔸He’s creative. God created a beautiful, limited-edition life of goodness just 👏🏾 for👏🏾 you👏🏾.
🔸He’s knows everything and uses it for our good. He knows the wonderful life he created for you and he doesn’t want us to stay stuck in the present.
🔸He’s kind. God does not parade around our mistakes or make room for us to beat ourselves up. He doesn’t do that to us so why should we?
🔸He’s patient. Though we get tripped up by the same sins, God forgives over and over and over again. That takes patience.
🔸He’s committed. He sees us do and think the worst things but he never leaves. He’s there to through it all.
In all things that God does, He is love. His love is sovereign, His love reigns, His love is faithful. Because He loves me, I have the power to love myself too.
