Understanding God's Love - And Why It Matters

Secret God Podcast

Understanding God's Love - And Why It Matters

Most of us struggle with love because we’re closed off. We don’t truly open our hearts to God’s love. God's Love should be the foundation of our lives, guiding all our actions and relationships. In fact, the Bible says Love is the most important thing, yet we have so little of it. Join us today as we discover that our love and God's love are very different. Most people have the wrong idea of what God's love even means, and few of us have ever really experienced God's love.

Key Takeaways

• Love is the most Important commandment.
• Without love, we are nothing.
• God's love enables us to do great things.
• Our love and God's love are greatly different.
• Love gives; it doesn't just take.

Excerpts:

"Love to us might seem soft and weak; we picture ourselves having to run through fields of flowers skipping along, with butterflies or something."

"This accurately describes most churches, full of good intentions and effort but mainly just making noise."

"God's Love is not weak, it’s not soft, it’s not inactive or absent, it doesn’t take, it gives, it becomes."  

Scripture References:

• Matthew 22:37-40 NLT - Jesus replied, “‘You must love the - Bible Gateway
• 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV - Bible Gateway

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Did you know in the Bible itsays that love is the greatest?
In fact, in last year'sValentine's episode, we discussed
this and talked about howloving God with all that you are
is the greatest commandment inthe Bible.
But we often miss it.
We think others are moreimportant, like honor your mother
and father or don't murder people.

(00:20):
Stop lying.
But really, it's love.
God, if you haven't heard thatepisode, it you really should.
Love is the greatest.
It's at the top of the list.
All throughout the Bible, ittalks about the importance of love.
It even says if you don't havelove, then you don't even know God.
It says that of all things,most will pass away, but it's love

(00:41):
that will remain forever.
Love is pretty important toGod, but maybe not the love.
We think of our kind of love.
We love lots of things.
We love food, cars, movies,clothes, jewelry, sports, and the
list goes on.
We love all sorts of stuff.
It's not a great sin to sayyou love these things, but I don't
think the love you have forpizza should be the same as the love

(01:04):
you have for God.
Our kind of love usually meanswe want something or desire something
or really enjoy something.
When we say we love pizza, itmeans we want it, we enjoy it.
Or I love that car usuallymeans I want that car, I desire it.
This even applies to people.
We say things like, I loveher, I'll take her as my wife, or

(01:28):
I love him, I'll take him asmy husband.
Our love takes and takes andoccasionally gives.
Usually when we wantsomething, our love to us might seem
soft and weak.
We picture ourselves having torun through fields of flowers, skipping
along with.
With butterflies or something.
Either way, we have a wrongmindset about love.

(01:49):
Most of us have neverexperienced true love.
So we really have no idea whatit truly means to love.
To us, it just means we likewe want, we desire, or we enjoy.
It's mostly about us.
Our love and his love seem so different.
I don't see most people givingeach other their best.

(02:10):
Forget about God.
People usually get the last ofwhat we have.
And then whatever scraps areleft, we give those to God.
We get it backwards.
We need to love God first withall of our hearts and with all of
our strength.
And out of that love, then doeverything else.
That's why it's first.
Everything should flow out ofthat love for God.

(02:32):
Love becomes.
It becomes what is needed.
Jesus became what is needed inthis world because of his love for
His Father.
Jesus whole life operated outof his love and his relationship
to his father.
And out of that love he gaveup his life.
For him and for all of us.
That's the kind of love Idon't think most of us even possess.

(02:54):
Mainly because we aren'tputting love first.
We keep it pretty far down onthe list of importance.
Usually we operate out of ourstrength, our will, and our sheer
determination.
We barely love at all.
We just use that phrase toconvey a strong admiration.
To us, love is just a word,but really it should be a force,

(03:14):
a power, a strength.
The key to everything we do islove, but yet it also is a thing
that most of us really don't have.
It requires us to open up ourhearts and allow God's love, in which
for a lot of us is difficultat best.
We are pretty closed off ingeneral, pretty guarded and protective,

(03:35):
and we have tons of goodreasons why.
It's difficult for most peopleto really open up their hearts to
people, let alone God.
But if you want to experienceand know God and have this kind of
love, you're going to have toat least try.
Well, God knows my heart.
He knows I love him.
Does he?
How does he know when youdon't show him?

(03:55):
It's like your spouse.
We think, oh, they know I care.
They know I love them.
But yet we rarely make mucheffort to convey that love.
We take and take, but rarely give.
Most of our spouses run on adeficit of love from us.
We aren't willing to becomewhat our spouse needs.
Let's face it, most of us getmarried because of what it offers

(04:17):
us, not what we can give to it.
Marriage should be I'm herefor you, I'm with you.
You should never feel that youare in this alone.
But yet so many spouses feellike they are on their own.
We wonder why everything seemshard and difficult in life, but yet
we try to keep doingeverything without the thing we need
most.

(04:38):
Love.
We go to church, sing, worship.
We are nice to our spouse and family.
We keep trying to be a goodperson and just get through life.
But we lack love.
We make life more difficult,even though God has given us the
answer.
Love me first with everythingyou have, and then love others.
You have to give yourselfcompletely to God first, then out

(05:01):
of that, everything else will flow.
Most of us just won't do this.
It's like in the Bible whereit says you can do all kinds of things.
You can have great faith thatmoves mountains or be the greatest
prophet ever, but withoutlove, you are still nothing or you
could even give all you haveto the poor.
And still without love itmeans nothing.

(05:23):
You can even speak in thetongues of angels.
But without love, you're justmaking noise.
I think this accuratelydescribes most churches.
Full of good intentions andeffort, but mainly just making noise.
We hear scriptures like thisall the time, but somehow we just
don't apply them to our lives.
We think maybe hearing is enough.

(05:45):
We struggle because we hear,but don't do.
We put everything else in lifefirst and leave love at the bottom.
We avoid love because we thinkit's mushy, or we aren't worthy of
love, or we think we justaren't an emotional type person.
We shut down to love, but yetwe think somehow we were able to
give it.
It's like the church.

(06:05):
Most of us think just gettingthere is the accomplishment, the
sacrifice.
Oh, I went to church today.
I gave.
Wow, you should get a medal.
You showed up.
But what happens when you getto church?
Getting to church was actuallythe easy part for most of us.
But opening up and givingourselves to God once we are there,
well, that's tough.

(06:26):
Most likely church becomes ohGod I need and not God I give.
When you love God first witheverything you have, then you are
able to give, not just take.
The Bible says we love becauseGod loved us.
But how can we expect toreally love when we don't let that
love in?

(06:46):
The people in the Bible thatdid the greatest things were usually
the ones that allowed God'slove to transform them.
They were usually the onesthat loved God with everything within
them.
And out of that love they didmighty things.
Love enabled them to do beyondwhat was possible.
All because they allowedthemselves to be open to God and

(07:07):
His love.
God's love is able toaccomplish mighty things in your
life.
You just have to be willing toallow it.
The key is love.
God's love.
And without God's love, yourefforts will be empty.
You'll just be making noise.
You have to open up.
It's scary, it's costly, youmight be uncomfortable, but you can't

(07:28):
live a life for God with aclosed off heart.
It just won't work.
Open up and let God flood in.
Let him fill you and it willchange your life.
It will change your marriage,it will change your family.
You'll be able to live a lifethat gives and isn't constantly looking
for what it can take.
Remember, God's love is notweak, it's not soft, it's not inactive

(07:51):
or absent.
It doesn't take, it gives andit becomes don't live a life just
making noise, just getting by.
Open up and let God's lovetransform you today.