Love is a universal force that binds people together. Love transcends tribe, nation, religion, and society. Everyone want to feel loved and appreciated; we tend to withdraw from an environment without love. In this article, we will explore the concept of God’s love, the characteristics of God’s love, and ways to show God’s love. 

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 NLT

What is God’s love?

According to the Bible, God is regarded as love (1 John 4:7). God’s love crosses all limits to draw us to Himself. His love for us is so mighty that he willingly gave his only son for our redemption (John 3:16).God’s love for man is referred to as “agape,” which means fatherly love shown by God to man, and it is also the love reciprocated by man to God.

 Words cannot define the love of God because it is beyond human understanding. We can get a glimpse of what God’s love means by studying the characteristics of God’s love. 

Characteristics of God’s love

The love of God shown to us has many attributes. The attributes of God’s love are what makes it unique and special. Some of the characteristics of God’s love include:

• God’s love is sacrificial and not selfish. The love we receive from God is sacrificial. It is a kind of love that is strong enough for God to give his precious son as redemption for our sins (Gal 3:13-14)
• His love for us erased our records of sin and keeps no record of our wrongdoing. When we receive the love of Christ, our sins are wiped off, just like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). We are reinstated and celebrated.
• The love of God is not proud but humble and meek (1 Cor 13:4). Jesus showed us this example when he washed the feet of the disciples and commanded us to show love to others. 
• God’s love is patient and not easily angered. Whenever I think about the abominations and atrocities committed by man daily, I am reminded of how patient God’s love is. 
• God’s love is not envious or boastful. Pride and envy are not like God or his love. His love is rather humble, strengthening and kind. (1 Cor 13:4)
• God’s love doesn’t change (Rom 8:38-39). It is the same yesterday, today and forever more. That is why God accepts us with open arms anytime we run to him and confess our sins. He loved us even when we were sinners and living in sin. 

God’s Love Compared to a Mother’s Love

A mother’s love is a reflection of God’s love. It doesn’t fully explain everything about God’s love, but it is the closest show of love that reflects God’s love. The Bible contains some verses where God explains his love using an example of a mother’s love. 

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

Isiah 66:13

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

Isaiah 49:15

 “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft. The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with him.”

Deuteronomy 32:11-12

“Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open. Like a lion I will devour them—a wild animal will tear them apart.”

Hosea 13:8

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Psalm 91:4

Can anything hinder us from receiving God’s love?

We have established that God love and care for us, but no matter how much God loves and cares for us, many things can hinder us from receiving the love of God; some of which include:

• Living a life of sin. God knows when we unconsciously or mistakenly fall into sin. He is willing to accept us and take us back into his fold, but when we continuously live a life of sin, we may not receive his love. It is not because God does not love us but because our sins will stand between us, hindering us from receiving and experiencing his love.
• The feeling of guilt after sinning. Many people find it difficult to receive God’s love because they feel they have sinned and do not deserve it. The truth is that none of us deserve his love. We are all able to receive and experience his love by grace. Do not let your guilt hinder you from experiencing the love of God.
• Not accepting his salvation and love (Eph 1:13). Accepting Jesus and confessing Christ is accepting God’s love. Anyone who fails to accept salvation cannot receive Christ’s love.
• Having hatred or dislike towards our enemies (Matt 5:44) . One of the lessons I have learnt in life is a heart filled with hatred is incapable of feeling love. When we bear hatred and hurt in our hearts, we find it difficult to experience the love of God because the feeling of hatred will always overshadow the love.
• When we are ignorant of how much love God has for us. Many believers do not truly understand the extent of God’s love for them. Some see God as a taskmaster who keeps burdening them with challenges and difficulties; they rarely understand God’s love for them, hence their inability to experience it.

God truly loves us, but we must consciously walk in his love and never allow the devil to create doubt in our hearts. It is also essential to show the love we have received from God to others to bring them to the light of Christ. 

Ways to show God’s love to others

The love of God is enough for everyone in the world to enjoy and experience. We believers have a role to share God’s love with everyone we meet or encounter, and these are some of the ways we can show God’s love to others (Rom 5:5).

• Preaching to them about the love and redemption of Christ. I believe a believer can show love to others, especially unbelievers, by sharing the good news with them. The salvation of God should be shared with others to bring them to the kingdom of God.
• Praying for them. Praying for others is very important, as it shows our love and commitment. We must pray for people like our husband, wife, children, friends, neighbours and family. God has called us to be intercessors for those around us, and we must yield to his call.
• Serving others with utmost dedication and selflessness. We live in a time when the world is so fast-paced, and everyone is saddled with many responsibilities. If we are not careful, we will become selfish and forget what serving others means. Jesus exemplified service to us by washing the feet of his disciples. He showed us the meaning of love and service by disregarding his position and letting go of his worry about his death. He went ahead to serve his disciples and encouraged us to do the same.

• Telling them the truth in love. Times are such that people who tell the truth are called snitches and seen as bad people, but if you love someone, you will tell them the truth. Whenever we tell people the plain truth in love, we are showing them the love of God. 
• Loving yourself. How can we talk about showing love to others without first experiencing love? Loving yourself is very important to God, even Jesus admonished us to love our neighbour as ourselves (Mark 12:31). Love yourself, and the love will spread to others.

• Support people whenever they need it. Showing support and standing by people, especially in times of trouble, is vital. Let them see a reflection of how much God loves them in you. You may be saving a life.
• Listening to people and showing empathy. Listening to people helps them alleviate their stress, and it helps them to focus.

The Power of God’s Love

God’s love is compelling; sometimes, when I imagine the extent of his love for me, I am speechless and marvelled at his love. God’s love is powerful enough to redeem man and save us from the severe punishment we inherited from Adam and Eve. 

God’s love heals and restores us, bringing us to the rank of the firstborn of God. We became children of God and not just an ordinary creation of God. Isn’t his love powerful?

How to show God we love him.

God has shown us how much he loves us, and we can also reciprocate his love by doing these things:

• We can show God we love him by accepting and appreciating his love unto us; we must allow his love in our hearts and give him the position he deserves in our lives. (John 1:12)
• By worshipping and appreciating him for the things he has done for us.
• Allowing his will and purpose to prevail in our lives. If we truly love God, we will fulfil and follow his instructions in total obedience to him.
• We can show God we love him by loving others and showing the love of Christ to them. Eph 4:2
• We can show God we love him by giving to him and others around us. Giving is a way of expressing love; if we truly love God, we will be willing to give to him and those in need around us.
• Love what God wants and hate what God hates.
• By spending regular time with him like he is our lover.

Nothing can take us away from the love of Christ; his love is intense and beyond understanding. Whenever you are feeling low and undeserving of his love, always remember to seek solace in his word and be confident of his word that says;

 So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

Romans 8:31-35 MSG