God’s Intentional Love

I’ll never forget one of my first Valentine’s days as a married woman. My husband and I had just transitioned our life across the country and were living in the state of Texas. We had little to no money, and we were on an adventure of a lifetime. I had explained to him that Valentine’s Day “gifts” didn’t mean very much to me, so we didn’t need to do anything elaborate to celebrate, as long as we were together.

Valentine’s day came, and we ended up in a home décor store, walking around with no plans and just window shopping at all the décor and furniture. We didn’t do anything fancy to celebrate that year. We just enjoyed each other’s company, got something very cheap for dinner, and went back to our humble apartment. That year we learned that we didn’t need to do anything expensive or fancy, we just needed to be intentional with each other.

Intentionality in a relationship shows that you care and love deeply enough to prioritize the person you love. But even the most romantic earthly relationship, as intentional as it can be, has nothing on the romantic intentionality of our Savior.

John 3:16 shows us the romantic and intentional love of God the Father when it says,

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (NLT).

Praise God for the way He has shown us His love through Jesus! From the dawn of time, our God was intentionally planning His love for us. Even before you were created, God’s heart was for you, seeking you and desiring a relationship with you. This is the gospel.  Even Psalm 23:6 shows us that God’s love is in constant pursuit of us when it says,

“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life…”

The unconditional, relentlessly pursuing love of God doesn’t just stop at salvation. It pursues us every single day of our lives!

Jeremiah 31:3 says,

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.”

How beautiful a love that is everlasting, and all pursuing of us! The greatest love story ever told is written by God - for us! This is the type of love that knit us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139). It is also the same type of love that loves us, even when we were still sinners and unlovable (Romans 5:7-8). The love of our God is not like our love; it’s a romantic and endless pursuit of us. It is a never-ending, unfailing, unmeasurable, and unconditional type of love.

Just as the old hymn “The Love of God” by Fredrick Lehman (1917) states:

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 wand'ring child is reconciled by God's beloved Son. The aching soul again made whole, and priceless pardon won.

Refrain: O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure—the saints’ and angels’ song.

As we approach a holiday that is all about chocolates, heart-shaped boxes, fancy dinners, and romantic words; remind yourself that the Savior of the world wrote the most romantic love story just for you. He is forever in pursuit of your heart and the love of Jesus shows us just how deep the Father’s love is for us. A love that laid down everything, so that we could be reunited with God. This agape love will forever be chasing after and pursuing you.

~

Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.