Monday: Understanding God’s Love
Daily Lesson for Monday 7th of April 2025
Part of inheriting a sinful nature means that our perception of the universe has been tainted by our own propensities toward selfishness and pride. We see the world from our own limited perspective rather than from God’s omniscient one (obviously). Perhaps no concept has been more skewed by the sinful human race than that of “love.” Popular culture tends to promote an understanding of love that centers on self-fulfillment rather than on others. This self-centered approach to the subject makes it hard for us to understand how God views the subject.
Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com
Understanding the nature of love is an important key to understanding Bible prophecy. One of the key themes in the great controversy is the existence of a substantial misunderstanding about God’s character. Ellen G. White, after all, ends her summary of The Great Controversy by writing: “The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.”—The Great Controversy, page 678.
Read Genesis 22:1-13. The first mention of “love” in the Bible is found in Genesis 22:2. What does this story teach us about the nature of God’s love?
Occasionally, in addition to finding the first occurrence of a concept in the Bible, it can be useful to find the first mention of that same concept in individual books of the Bible—especially in the Gospels. In Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22, and John 3:16, we find the first mention of “love” in each of the Gospels.
For example, the first mention of “love” in John (John 3:16) is particularly enlightening: it appears to allude to the story of Isaac on the altar. Abraham’s faith in God was such that he trusted Him, choosing to believe that God could raise his son if he went through with the sacrifice (Hebrews 11:19). It foreshadowed God’s love for the human race. He loved us to the point where He “gave His only begotten Son” (see Genesis 22:2,12,16)—and, then, raised Him from the dead. Thus, we are given a revelation of the kind of love, the self-sacrificing love, that God has for us.
|
How do we even begin to manifest to others the kind of self-sacrificing love that God has for us? Why, for most of us, is this kind of love not necessarily basic to us? |
(5)
The Story in Genesis 22:1-13 illustrates the love God has for us, though when God had to sacrifice His Son there was no one to call it off at the last second, and God had to let His Son die. Some believe as well as illustrating God's self-sacrificing love, Abraham was also told to sacrifice his son as a way to prove his faith obedience.
"And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness." Genesis 15:6 NKJV
"because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Genesis 26:5
"By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense." Hebrews 11:17-19 NKJV
Therefore this story illustrates the love Abraham had for God in obeying Him,and how his love, faith and belief in God were all demonstrated through obedience. It also tells us about the love God has for us in giving up His only Son.
What modern day illustrations have you seen of love, faith, and sacrificial obedience?
"The Blanket of First Love"
Amos, an old man with a frail frame but a heart full of grace, lived quietly with his son Jonas, daughter-in-law Liya, and grandson Mikael. Though he owned little, he always gave — his time, his wisdom, his gentle smile. Even when he was overlooked or forgotten, he never complained. He had loved them long before they could ever repay him, and he never stopped.
One evening, food ran low, and tensions ran high. Jonas sighed, “We have nothing left to give him.” But Mikael quietly picked up Amos’s old, torn blanket and whispered, “He gave to us first even when he had nothing. Maybe what he needs now… is not food or comfort, but love.” His words softened their hearts, and for the first time in a long while, they saw Amos not as a burden — but as the one who had loved them sacrificially all along even when Jonas was young and not able to live by himself.
They brought him to the warmest room, sat beside him, and held his hand. No gifts, no words — just presence, honor, and love. In that moment, they understood: true love is not repaid with things, but with love returned. Just like God — who loved us first, not because we deserved it, but because He is love.“He loved us first” (1 John 4:19):
Wow, thank you so much brother Daniel, this brought tears to my eyes. As I live with my Mom and provide for her day in and day out, the burden of her memory loss and anxiety can feel heavy. This sweet story is just like mine in that I have so many memories of how She has been there for me throughout my life, and you have reminded me that what She needs most from day to day is not a bath or a snack but the patience and grace and honor of true love! "God, please soften the soil of my heart and fill me with Your Love, not because I deserve it but because You love me and my Mom", is my prayer.
Obedience and humility to me fit into the description of „sacrifice“.
Obedience to God means I chose to sacrifice whatever seems personal and essential to me: one example is found in Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Another example is time and effort sacrificed in favor of others. While we do that I am aware that as Paul mentioned in Phil 3: 7
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Regarding humility, C.S. Lewis once said: „ Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it‘s thinking of yourself less“ which means we seek to love others sacrificially without devaluing ourselves. This of course contradicts with the general world view and sometimes is not as convenient to us either.
Are we always willing as sincere Christians to deny ourselves and take up our cross to come after Him ?
Read Mathew 16:24
Real love renounces self. And that's what God does because He loves creatures who choose not to love back. We don't understand the real meaning of love because we think love should first be self-satisfying. Our best chance to learn what true love is is nailed on a cross.
Love is a word that is easily banded about today in a myriad of circumstances. However, id we are to love as God loves then it can't be inward looking or only offered to close friends and family.
"By this shall all men know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another"!!!
This lesson teaches us how our sinful nature has bent us toward selfishness. For us, love often means what we can get, not what we can give but God’s love is the opposite. It is outward, costly and unconditional; it’s about trust, obedience, and ultimate provision.
Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac foreshadows God’s ultimate act of love, giving His only Son for humanity (John 3:16). Abraham trusted God so deeply that he believed He could raise Isaac from the dead.
While this kind of love isn’t natural for us due to our sinful nature, we can strive to embody this love through faith and reliance on God’s transformative power.