The Ultimate Goal of God’s Love

1 John 4:10-12 True love is God’s love for us, not our love for God. He sent his Son as the way to take away our sins. That is how much God loved us, dear friends! So we also must love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us. If we love each other, God’s love has reached its goal—it is made perfect in us.

I’d like you, if you would, please, to picture the face of the most difficult person in your life. Hold it there. Now think of the last few interactions you’ve had with them. How does thinking about them make you feel?

I chose your most difficult person to make the point that loving imperfect people ain’t easy. Even in a marriage – the most intimate and important of all human relationships – the husband’s and wife’s imperfections rub on each another, right?

And yet, difficult though it can be, we know that love is incredibly important. We all want and need to be loved. But why? What’s the purpose of love; the ultimate goal of love? When God approaches humanity, imperfect as we each are, what’s He trying to achieve?

1 John 4:10-12 True love is God’s love for us, not our love for God. He sent his Son as the way to take away our sins. That is how much God loved us, dear friends! So we also must love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us. If we love each other, God’s love has reached its goal—it is made perfect in us.

So the objective of God’s love is … yes, for us to receive it, to be forgiven through it, to experience it; for us to know how much He loves us, but there’s a second objective there, did you pick it?

If we love each other, then God’s love has reached its ultimate goal—it’s made perfect in us.

Love God. Love others.

That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.