The Spirit of Love
By Ionela Testa
Chicago, Illinois USA
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
This verse may be the most popular verse memorized in the Christian faith and it is the best summary of the Gospel in the Bible. Why did God give us His Son Jesus? It was because of His love for us all. Notice, the verse doesn’t say, “For God so loved those that try to do good and obey God...”, instead it says, “For God so loved the world.” God’s love for us is difficult to describe. In 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a, the apostle Paul helps us understand God by describing what love is: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It
does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
God’s love is absolutely perfect, unconditional and everlasting. I have tried to explain God’s love to my kids (four boys) and they are in disbelief, just as I am. I share with them how much I love them, but how my love for them is limited and conditional because I am a sinner. I walk with them through 1 Corinthians 13, by sharing how I fail to love like God loves because I am not always patient with them and kind like God is all the time. I struggle with being easily angered; I do keep a record of wrongs; I don’t always rejoice with the truth and so on. I try to love like God loves but fall short every single day. This is very humbling and it makes me so grateful for God’s love and mercy.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them…We love because he first loved us.
1 John 4:9-10, 16, 19
Believing and trusting God’s love for us in the hard moments and in the hard days is a real struggle. These are the opportune moments that our enemy uses to cause us to doubt God’s love for us. May we remember God’s truth about His love for us during those dark moments when we doubt. May we remember and believe that God is love, and through His Son Jesus, He reveals the full extent of His perfect love for each one of us. Merry Christmas!
Questions for Reflection:
- How would you describe God’s love?
- Does your love for others lead you to action?
- In what ways do you struggle to believe that God’s love for you is unconditional?
Author Ionela Testa became a disciple of Jesus 21 years ago in Săftica, România. She has been serving in the ministry alongside her husband, Anthony, for 13 years and together they are raising four incredible boys: Michael, Harvey, Angelo and Leo. Ionela enjoys a good cup of coffee, studying the Bible and journaling, the outdoors and running marathons.
2 Comments
Dec 26, 2021, 1:23:47 AM
Vida - Thank you so much for this devotional. I've always struggled to believe God's live for me is unconditional. It's a comfort to be able to rely on God's love when I'm not at my best and to extend that same love to others.
Dec 25, 2021, 5:55:10 AM
Carol Nuelle - Merry Christmas Ionela! Thanks so much for sharing this devotional. The idea of Love is so massive and remembering how much God loves me in the hard moments can be challenging. Thanks and ❤️