love essential

The Bible says God is love.  It doesn’t just say that he loves us … it says that an essential characteristic of God is love.  He IS love!

God gets angry.  But his anger cannot blot out his love.   His anger does not cause God to turn away from us.  His essential characteristic – love – drives God to redeem us.  “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.
~ Frederick Lehman