“We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19)

There’s no light on planet Earth that doesn’t come from the sun; and there’s no true love for Christ that doesn’t come from the Lord Himself. Our love must come from the overflowing fountain of God’s infinite love. This must be your moment-by-moment revelation. It must always be your unshakable faith, especially when trials come, that your love for Him is because He forgave your past sins, not because of all the wonderful things He’s done for you since you started serving Him. If God allows terrible things to happen to you, you will not be justified to stop loving Him.

I know a saint, who got used to God’s provision for 50 years. Then, God unexpectedly allowed a terrible thing to happen to him. The saint resented it deeply, and stopped deliberately loving God, and gradually returned to a pre-salvation view of salvation. He walked in spiritual blindness for 18 months, because he forgot the basis of love for God must always be what Christ did for him on the cross (2 Peter 1:9).

Yes, God poured His love into your heart when he gave you the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 5:1). Yes, He’s blessed you in countless ways since then, but your love must be from eternal doings, not present circumstances. If your faith stops working through God’s eternal love, you’ll “burn out” spiritually. “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8).

This is beautifully expressed in 1 John 4:17-19: “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment …love casts out fear, because fear involves torment … We love Him because He first loved us.   

Love is an exotic plant which doesn’t grow naturally in human soil. It must be watered from above. Love to Christ is a flower of a delicate nature, and if it only received nourishment from the rock of our hearts, it would soon wither. Love must feed on love. The very soul and life of our love to God is His love to us.