Love- Part I
Pastor Ryan Binkley
5 minute read
Some things in life change you slowly, while others will transform your life in an instant.
My life was forever changed in a moment just like that, on the day that I fell into the loving arms of the Father. I was overwhelmed. Everything that caused pain – my insecurities, weaknesses, frailties, and brokenness – was not rejected, but rather embraced.
I was still the same in many ways (and the LORD was patient with me!), but in an instant my heart was changed. I became softer. My gift for mean-spirited sarcasm was dulled, and I saw how much more the lives of others mattered than my own. My cold and insensitive attitude was replaced with one of warmth.
I could never be the same person again. The old person I was tries to creep up now and again, but without fail, he’s left behind.
What is this? How do I describe what I am feeling?
It is the overwhelming, incredible, unimaginable, unescapable, immeasurable love of the Father.
1) The Love of the Father is Unconditional
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16 NKJV
Does it get any clearer than that? There’s a reason John 3:16 is so widely known. It’s an unambiguous declaration of God’s love for you. Jesus is a gift that seals that love permanently. I’ve read through the entire Bible, and you cannot show me one place where there’s a condition to God’s love. His love for you is unconditional.
2) The Love of the Father Gives You the Desires of Your Heart
I love looking into scripture to see this next point. In Genesis, Abram (later renamed ‘Abraham’) was without a child of his own.
“Sometime later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.’ But Abram replied, ‘O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.’ Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, ‘Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!’ And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
Genesis 15:1-6 NLT
The Lord was promising Abraham a great reward, yet when Abraham reacted, not with immediate gratitude, but with longing for a son, God responded with immediate generosity. He so easily could have reprimanded Abraham for not being grateful for the divine blessing he’d already been promised, but instead God took Abraham’s desires seriously. The Father’s heart is to care for our hearts.
3) The Love of the Father Exceeds Your Expectations
Again, Abraham’s life exemplifies this so well:
“After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, ‘Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.’”
Genesis 13:14-17 NLT
Last week I got back from seeing that land, the land of Israel, with my own eyes. And it still belongs to Abraham’s descendants to this day! The love of the Father eclipsed the desire of one man to have one child, and now nations can trace their inheritance to him.
4) The Love of the Father Provides for Your Every Need
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19 NKJV
That sentence was written by a man in jail. He was able to write those words, despite his circumstances, because of the power of the gospel. The Apostle Paul was no stranger to being beaten, shipwrecked, abandoned, and arrested, yet God never lost the ability to provide. He’s a good Father.
Do you really believe that God will provide for your needs as He promises?
The perfect Father sent the perfect Son to show us that God is for us. I pray, both for the moment and the journey, that the Father’s love finds you, and you know the depths He will go to show you His love.
There’s so much more I want to say on this but respect your time. If you want to hear more, I preached on this very thing this past weekend. If you want to watch it, you can find that here.