God's Love--True Love: 7 Attributes

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. I John 4:16

By: Carol McClain @carol_mcclain

My husband loved me before I loved him.

God's love is greater than man's.

Don't get me wrong, from our first date, I knew Neil was a man I could marry. We shared core (and not so core) values.

1. We loved God.
2. We loved art.
3. We were low-keyed and enjoyed home and nature and quiet things.
4. He was a good-looking man with beautiful straight teeth and this head of silver hair that begged for fingers to run through it.

Guess which of the above weren't enduring values?

He wanted to spend time with me. Flowers regularly showed up at my house. Gifts were purchased as he wooed me.

When he proposed, I was shocked. It wasn't that I didn't want to spend my life with him. I needed a little more time, a little more faith, a little more courage to make that leap. 

If a human can love like Neil when someone's love wavers, then God's love is MUCH greater.

God loved us before we loved Him.

Seven Characteristics of God's Love

1. Has no limits. There's nothing we can do or have done that will limit God's love. (Rom. 8:31-39)
2. Has no expectations. (Rom. 5:8)
3. Is not dependent on us.  (Jer. 1:5)
4. Has our ultimate good in mind. It's life changing. (Rom. 8:38)
5. Can't be earned. (Eph. 2:8-9)
6. It's sacrificial. (Phil. 2-7)
7. It's eternal. Nothing's ever going to separate us from his love. (Ps. 1360

Neil expected nothing from me. He loved me as I was. I never earned his love. For more than a dozen years, he's loved me through my foibles and strengths.

If a man can love so well but imperfectly, how much greater is God's perfect love? Quit trying to be perfect. Perfection will come on its own--through natural responses to God's love.

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Seven characteristics of God's love. (Click to tweet)

Perfection will come on its own--through natural responses to God's love. (Click to tweet)