Why does God Love Us?

A curious question occurred to me as I stretched my mind to understand the real motive that God uses to orchestrate heaven, earth, and all creation. Though extraordinarily simple, the concept is super complex because of it is very hard for the finite being to appreciate the infinite.

It is one thing to enjoy a panoramic view from a mountain top thing "What could be more beautiful?"  At another time I was pleased to fly at 30,000 feet over the country to see its amazing diversity. Then, I recall the time when astronauts stood on the moon seeing the earth large in the sky. What if we could see the earth moving in this galaxy around the sun?

It is then that we join the wondering few who ask the question, what is man that you are mindful of him? from Psalms 8:4

So, why does God time and again speak of HIs immense love for us? This is a pondering question that I am not able to fully appreciate because the history of man is not flattering. And our relationship with God has often been antagonistic to the point of persecution of His followers.

So, why does God extend His hand to us when He is more than sufficient to enjoy the benefits of heaven and His angelic family?

This question is both fair and something to explore. Here's what we know! Love is not ever intended to be just self-appreciation. That is loneliness and unfulfilling. As a child, I thought Christmas was about getting things.

As a parent, I learned that Christmas had another side. It was the vicarious pleasure of watching our children open their presents. A child's view of love is what he or she gets from the giftor.

An adult hopefully learns the lesson that giving can be as much pleasure as getting. The character of God has been poorly represented by those who see God through their self-interested and myopic eyes.

Yes, God is holy meaning He has no wickedness or flaws in Him. He is all-powerful so that He is never unable to run heaven or His creation. He is infinite meaning He can literally do anything and never tire.

But there is one huge factor that influences how God works. He loves us! You see love cannot be the sound of one hand clapping. Love will not be satisfied in basking in one’s own riches and possessions. Love cannot feast at a bountiful table while others stand outside starving. Love needs someone to share the bounty that is abundantly more than we could ever need.

The misunderstanding that humans make is that we must earn God’s love. My children did not have to earn my love. They only needed to learn how to operate in my family as they matured. Why else would be love a crying baby who in incontinent and cares nothing for the disruption they causes the parents?

God’s love is frankly a gift that we do not deserve. He is not angry at us, though He is often displeased at sin in our lives. Regardless of outright hatred, antipathy, or ignorance; God continues to sustain creation with the expectation that we will respond to His provisional goodness in this life.

Take note that God’s gifts were not just temporal allowing us to survive or thrive in this not-so-perfect world. Seventy to ninety years of life is our provisional gift, but there is a unique gift offered by a loving God that includes joining Him for eternity in heaven.

You got your provisional gift of life when you were born; and during that provisional period, God offers you another gift which was paid for by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Heaven itself is perfect. Sin, pain, and disease do not exist there.

 To enter into heaven, we need to be cleansed of the errors, mistakes, and sins that haunt us now. The Bible explains that sin can only be canceled by the shedding of blood, which is why animal sacrifices were made.

The animal was symbolic of the day when the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, would be sent to earth to voluntarily sacrifice His life and shed His blood. The ultimate expression of love is to lay down one’s life in service or sacrifice for another.

So, God’s own son made the ultimate expression of God’s love. In so doing, He opened that door to heaven to those who accepted Him as their savior. The second birth is built on the moment that we accept God’s love offer.

You see, as a gift of undeserved kindness, the offer of eternity in heaven is already made. But the offer of eternity in heaven is only effective when we accept that our temporary life ends one day, and we accept Jesus as savior to then inherit eternity in God’s heaven. Your first birth came with the gift of seventy to ninety years of life.

Your second birth comes with an eternity in a wonderous heaven and enjoying the presence of a loving God. We cannot fully understand such one-sided generosity. We can debate God’s motives, His complex ways, or the inequities of this sin-compromised world.

Transcending all the pundits and objections, one this I will embrace. God loves me. Jesus died for me. And I am made a citizen of heaven the day that I trust Jesus Christ as my savior from sin. When this life ends and the gift of my first birth expires, I have a new birth at the moment that I trusted Christ as savior that entitles me to an amazing eternity where God’s loving provision will never end. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.