Thoughts on God's unlimited love

This year our Advent theme is "Love unlimited". We're talking here about Barry White's backing group, but the unlimited love that God has shown us through his SOn, Jesus. Here are some opening thoughts about God's unlimited love.

Here is what we want to know. We want to know how long God’s love will endure… Does God really love us forever? Not just on… Sunday when our shoes are shined and our hair is fixed. We want to know… how does God feel when I’m a jerk? Not when I’m peppy and positive and ready to tackle world hunger. Not then. I know how he feels about me then. Even I like me then.

I want to know how he feels about me when I snap at anything that moves, when my thoughts are gutter-level, when my tongue is sharp enough to slice a rock. How does God feel about me then?…

Can anything separate us from the love Christ has for us?

God answered our question before we asked it. So we’d see his answer, he lit the sky with a star. So we’d hear it, he filled the night with a choir; and so we’d believe it, he did what no man had ever dreamed. He became flesh and dwelt among us.

He placed his hand on the shoulder of humanity and said, “You’re something special”.

Max Lucado In the Grip of Grace from One Incredible Moment

A love promised

How would you describe God? If someone asked you for a single sentence description of his character what would you highlight? Eight times in the Old Testament he is described like this: slow to anger and abounding in love. Seven of the eight times it adds: gracious and compassionate. That God is holy, the righteous judge of all people, creator and sustainer of the universe is also true, yet there is something about compassion, grace, and love that just seems to say more.

Four characteristics of this promised love

#1 Knows no boundaries

Jer. 31:3 I have loved you with an everlasting love, I have drawn with cords of loving kindness

#2 Forgives all sin

Num.4:18 The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.

#3 Compassionate and renewed

Lam.3:23-24 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

#4 Unfailing

Exod.35:13 In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.

A love revealed

Matthew tells us that all this happened to fulfil what was spoken through the prophets.
The birth of Jesus is a revelation of God’s love for us. God loves us so much that he is willing to become one of us. To experience life as we experience it, to set aside his glory, majesty and even his rights as God, and experience humanity. God loves us so much that not only did he become one of us, but he also died for each of us.

While we were still rebels, Christ died for us, says Paul.

A love poured out

We are:

Loved unconditionally
Loved eternally
Loved individually