God Is Love
One of the things I love about the internet is that I get to benefit from so many great preachers and great sermons. On the drive today I am going back and listening to sermons at my church from the years before I was there. I was listening to one from my pastor and friend Matt Carter. He talked about a book by Chris Tomlin and a line that impacted him, “A love like that can change a boy.” He then went on to talk about how love changes us, and what kind of love can truly change us. An earthly love can change our actions and maybe even our heart but only God’s love can change our identity. So I’ve been thinking on why that is. I believe it is because God’s love IS an identity. Therefore, His act of loving us identifies us. His love changes our identity because He is a definer. His loving us changes us from who we were into His beloved. And God’s love is an identity. 1 John 4:16a says, “God is love.” I have always interpreted this as God is loving, that what He does fits in the category of “loving”. That love is His identity. But as I’ve thought on it more over the years, I’m starting to think it might be the reverse. I think God is the definer. I think He is not landing in the category of “loving” but His actions are defining the category of “loving.” I think God is love’s identity. Who He is defines what love is. Therefore, God’s love can change our identity because it is the fullness of God, with all the power of God contained therein. His love defines us.
This is what I think about driving down the highway. I’d love to hear what this stirs in you.
Thoughts?
Todd