How long should love last, in your opinion? Should it last for a lifetime? Should it last forever? Are you thinking of the emotional or infatuation love? What about unconditional love? Have you considered it? Don’t you think you should? As you consider it, what does it mean to you?
Love is tricky. There are different kinds of love and when we start talking about love, we can quickly become confused. We may not understand which type of love is being discussed. After all, there is friendship love, infatuation love (being in love), and unconditional love.
Despite what we may have heard in sermons or Sunday School classes, God has an unconditional love for us. It is true that he has expectations for us as well. But that doesn’t negate his love for us. Think about it. If you are a parent, you love your children, but you also have expectations. You don’t love them any less when they don’t straighten up their room, even if you are upset with them for a short time.
God loves his creation, which includes all of humankind. He does wonderful things for us corporately and individually. He provides for our needs. He has provided an eternal life with him. Yes, we must choose to accept his invitation, but our choice doesn’t negate his provision. Just as our children can walk away from us, we have the option of walking away from God. In neither case does that mean the parent stops loving the child. God’s love for us is unconditional. It is steadfast. It cannot be broken, even if God’s heart can be broken by our walking away from him. Just as the child should love the parent who raised them, we should love God for all he has done for us.
I pray we all know that God loves us unconditionally. I pray we understand that he has expectations for us. I pray each one of us will choose to run back into God’s arms and return his love with our own. God loves you. God has expectations. Run back to God. Give him your love.
Psalm 107:8-9
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
For he satisfies the thirsty,
and the hungry he fills with good things.
