How do we usually view or understand love? In today’s world, many believe that love is a feeling, but the Bible tells us that God IS love (1 John 4:8), and so if love is a feeling, then God could not BE love because He is not a feeling, He is a person, real and living. Love is an action, not just a feeling. We must choose to love. God showed that to His children at Mount Sinai when they disobeyed by building the golden calf to worship while Moses was on the mountain receiving God’s law. Moses became angry with the people and broke the tablets that had God’s law written on them and went back up the mountain to receive a new set of tablets so that the people could learn God’s law. God describes Himself to Moses, “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.’” (Exodus 34:6-7 ESV)
God describes Himself as merciful, or a better way of description would be full of compassion! When we hurt, He hurts, when we go through difficult circumstances, His heart is broken for us, and He walks with us so that we don’t have to go through those difficult times alone. (Psalm 46:7)
God also says that He is gracious, or full of grace! Grace is one of the greatest gifts God gives to those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. Without God’s grace, we would not have the hope that we have. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we no longer need to fear what lies ahead. God shows His grace to each person who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV) “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9 KJV)
God is slow to anger, in other words, He is patient, the kind of patience that seems to never end. He knows we will fail Him and so because of His compassion toward us, He is patient with us, teaching us every step of the way in our journey with Him. (2 Peter 3:9)
He is “abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. God’s love and faithfulness has no limit! Romans 8:38-39 tells us, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NASB 1995) His faithfulness is also without limit. We can count on Him in every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 1:9)
That is God’s perfect love for us as His children. He chooses to show His love for us through His mercy, grace, patience, and faithfulness. He shows us Himself in each attribute.
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