Love!

Love!

‭‭John 3:16 KJV‬‬

[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The natural man defines love in terms of what s/he can get. The natural man understands the power of the physical, and that is why it is the only language he understands. It is also the reason why the natural man can be easily deceived by outward pretence masquerading as love. The expectations would have been set on the wrong evidence, and everything else that follows will be based on that wrong evidence. God gives us the right perspective and definition of what love is, and this is on the basis of what he had to give up in order to secure what He wanted. God's love defined all the parameters: what do I want from man? What can man give me? What is the price to be paid so that I could get what I want from man? All of these questions and more are answered in the verse above. 

First, God was looking for a surrendered heart that He could use for His glory. Without taking control of a heart, you cannot control its daily pursuits and priorities, and that was God's first goal. As you read the verses of the Bible, you find that all the people who had lasting impact on the earth were those who God could call at any time, and they were totally available. This would come from a heart that had been in an encounter with this God. Total surrender does not come easily to a heart that has not had an encounter. God would also not demand surrender without first laying out all the benefits, blessings and demands that this encounter will bring to you, so you are fully aware of what you are getting into. This is why his offer of love comes before his demand for surrender. He makes the offer of Himself, and then demands that I also offer myself to Him in return. 

Secondly, God's love was laid out long before I was born so He was not looking for physical benefits from me. He has his eye on eternity, which is the end of all human activity, and the only way to secure this eternal life for me was to offer me His own life, which has no end. He was not looking for possessions or gifts He already owns, but He is looking for that which I have the power to withhold or freely give, and that is my heart. He knows the power of a heart under His control, and that is what He seeks by the love He has shown. The price he has paid shows the depth of the sacrifice He was willing to pay to secure the control of my heart. The offer and the gift have been made, and I have just this earthly phase to sort out a response.  The only variable here is my reply; God's love is constant, his Word is dependable and eternity is sure. He waits for you and I? How do you plead? God's time of favour is here.