Articles
God Loves to Love
For years I misunderstood God. In my mind, He sought every opportunity to punish the wicked, particularly those who worshiped Him incorrectly. He loved His children but only out of obligation. If He allowed anyone into heaven, which almost never happened, He did so grudgingly.
I thought of God not as a heavenly Father but a heavenly Pharisee. Obsessed with rules. Looking for flaws. Expecting perfection. Ready to judge.
As a result, I lived in constant fear of Him. Not the healthy kind of fear. Dread. Anxious dread. Salvation seemed impossible with a God like that. I was doomed to eternal destruction regardless of my effort, so I thought.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. God longs to forgive. He takes pleasure in showing mercy. He craves our salvation. In short, He loves to love.
Perhaps no passage reveals God’s heart better than Micah 7:18: “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love.”
The Israelites’ persistent idolatry during the divided kingdom forced God to sentence them to destruction and captivity. They deserved to be rejected forever, but since God loves to love, He mercifully provided a path to redemption. We, the spiritual remnant of God’s possession, are the recipients of His unmerited favor. He passes over our rebellious act and pardons our iniquity when we genuinely strive to put Him first.
Why does God love to love? The answer is simple: He wants every last soul to be saved. When we fulfill His will, He rejoices that He can fulfill His desire.
Over time I learned the proper view of God. Rather, I came to believe what I already knew: God loves to love. That’s when everything in my spiritual life changed. Everything.
I began to serve Him out of love and not fear. Confidence replaced my doubts as I embraced God’s promise of salvation. This newfound hope propelled me to seek Him more diligently than ever before.
Brothers and sisters, trust that God loves to love you. Believe it in the deepest part of your soul. See God as He truly is, not as you might imagine Him. When you do, everything will change—your motivation, your hope, your joy, your strength, and your love.
