The Measure of Love

If love could be measured, it would be measured by how much it gives. Would you like to know the extent to which you love your parents, your children, your spouse, your roommate, or your coworkers? Then ask yourself: How much do I give? The truth is, when we have a love that gives without limits, we don’t even think about how much we give to the people we love. Such a love defies measurement. We joyfully give without taking any notice of how much has been sacrificed.

This is how God loves. And his love can be measured by whom he gave. He gave his only Son; he gave everything, holding nothing back. He “squandered” his love extravagantly and unashamedly on vile sinners. He certainly didn’t think about how much we deserved his love or what we had done to earn his favor. God loves with reckless abandon and without any concern for the kind of people that are on the receiving end.

That’s why God should be so easy to trust. He never uses words of despair or defeat, hopelessness or frustration, fear or failure; those aren’t words of love. Not his love. When God encourages your heart, he speaks words of hope and victory, rest and peace, joy and triumph. The blessing that Paul speaks to the Thessalonians summarizes this kind of love beautifully: “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say” (2 Thes 2:16-17).

In these words to the Thessalonians, we see God’s eternal encouragement. It’s the measure of his love. If your heart needs to be strengthened, lean in to these words of hope and comfort.

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For the next devotional from Joni, see p. 1391click here.

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