“You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;
you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.”
– Exodus 15:13
Today as our culture celebrates various aspects, images, concepts, and distortions of love, we should focus on the model and pattern of all true love: the steadfast, faithful love of God. God’s love is unfailing, rock-solid, and grounded in who He is. Love is an integral part of His nature and isn’t contingent on who we are or what we do.
God’s love is sacrificial. It is costly for Him to love us because of our ongoing sins, shortcomings, and ingratitude. He sacrificed His own Son on a cross, sending Him to die to pay the penalty for our sins, so that by faith we could be restored to a love relationship with God. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
God’s love is redemptive. He bought our freedom from slavery to sin and death through the death of His Son. The love of God always seeks to raise us up, transform us for the better, and draw us nearer to Him.
God’s love is steadfast. It doesn’t rise and fall with His mood. It doesn’t change with the weather or shift with our behavior. Even when we run away from it for years and fight against it, when we turn back, His love is always waiting in Christ.
As we go about our Valentine’s Day business, understand that we’re called to love others in this same way. It is hard, frustrating, discouraging and also the most wonderful calling in the world! God’s love for us – sacrificial, redemptive, and steadfast – is the model and standard for our love for others. Whether you’re celebrating love for spouse, children, parents, or friends today, are you striving to love them like God loves you?