He Loved Us First

Beloved, let us love one another because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us:  God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.  In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.  

When we were kids and had a disagreement with a friend, the insults would be traded and sometimes the disagreement escalated into something that resembled a war between the two antagonists. The battle would continue with one side not speaking to the other, ignoring each other and pretending that it didn't matter.  Then suddenly it would be all over.  One side would apologize to the other or something would happen that was bigger than the original altercation.  Perhaps one would take a tumble and a skinned knee can heal wounds of the spirit between friends.  Or maybe the local bully began to pick on one and the other came to offer aid.  One thing leads to another and the friendship is restored to its full flower. 

Look at our relationship with God.  He has always been there for us.  There was never a moment when He did not love us and that includes the times we wanted nothing to do with Him and wanted Him out of our lives.  He still loved us first.  If you had a friend that slapped you in the back of the head every time you met, how much effort would you expend to maintain that friendship?  I confess that I would be hard-pressed to find a reason to continue the relationship since I am not into pain and rejection.   God, on the other hand, is a God of second, third, and seventy times seven chances and so He waits patiently for us to return and His love for us does not decrease even a little. This next thought might shock you.  God loves the people in hell too.   He cannot stop loving them in spite of their final rejection of Him. He would rather have them free rather than control them like some puppet on a string.  He tells us to love our enemies and shows us it is possible to do so!  God's love is something there is an endless supply of and it is the one thing that can be counted on to never run out or even diminish.  Our God is an awesome God.