God’s Steadfast Love

To have the joy and peace our Savior promised, we must think like Christians. We are rational beings, created in God’s image to think his thoughts after him (Ps. 36:9). We are made new creatures in Christ so that we bring our thoughts captive to his Lordship (Eph. 4:23; 2 Cor. 10:4-5).

                What are we as Christians to think about? God’s love is at the top. His “lovingkindness is better than life” (Ps. 63:3). All our lives he has loved us (Ps. 71:6); before we lived he loved us (Eph. 1:3-5). He loved us so much he sent his Son to die for our sins and to save us from coming wrath (John 3:16-17). His love guards our every step, works ultimate good through every difficulty, and comforts in the darkest place. If we doubt this because our crosses are heavy and our tears thick, we must let his love from the cross drive our doubts away (Rom. 8:32).

                God’s love is his sworn, covenanted, unchanging, invincible goodness toward his people, his pledge to do them good forever, his kindly feelings toward us. “Let your lovingkindness be for my comfort” (Ps. 119:76). God’s love is faithful. His love is comforting. On a beach or hospital bed, God’s steadfast love is the most settling truth upon which we can think.

                The next line in Psalm 119 adds: “Let your tender mercies come to me, that I may live.” God’s “tender mercies” are his pity, his compassion, his tender love for us. In love, he adopted us to be his children, and he always views us tenderly.

                How can he love us like this? Are we not sinful? Yes, but our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. We stand in a different relation to sin because of our union with Christ. It is not our master (Rom. 6:14). We are not under condemnation (Rom. 8:1). We are in no danger of everlasting judgment, for we are righteous and forgiven in Christ. He is our gracious, precious Master. Our victory lies in his obedience, not in ours (Rom. 7:25; 1 Cor. 15:57), in his advocacy in heaven (1 John 2:1).

                It is surprisingly hard to think on God’s love. Something in us fights his love and thinks him stingy or uncaring. We crave to be loved on our terms. Worldly loves scream to be gratified. We must repent and believe that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus is loving us according to his wise and tender heart. He knows the end of our stories. He knows the way we need to be loved now to fill us with joy later.

                God’s love is so great, so eternal, raises us so high, delivers us from such horrid depths of sin and corruption, that we cannot know the wonder of his love unless he strengthens us (Eph. 3:17-19). God himself must teach us about his love!

                As we know his steadfast love, we shall be satisfied with less of the world, if only we have more of him. It will be easier to be quiet, so we can think about the treasure of his love. We shall talk more about his love – less about the world’s false and foolish loves. We shall want to serve him, obey him, and please him. His love for us stokes our love for him. We also will love one another better – not criticizing but mesmerized by people whom God so greatly loves.