As we enter the season of Lent, we are turning our focus to deepen our understanding of God’s love for us. Here is the third devotion that prepares us for our Easter observances:

IN WORD Nowhere in the New Testament is love defined simply as a common human emotion. Biblical love is much more radical than that. It extends farther than the world’s love—to enemies and strangers; and it also goes deeper—to sacrificial offerings of adoration. We love because God adamantly insists that we be like Him.
But if human experience isn’t the template for biblical love, where do we go to take our cues? Jesus is our example. Jesus loved us and gave Himself as an offering. He considered His own human feelings of no account; a higher consideration than self took Him to the Cross. He defined love for His disciples as laying down one’s life for a friend, and He gave them an object lesson they would never forget. The visual illustration of this kind of love sticks with us as well. It’s the example Paul gives to the Ephesians: We are to love in the same way that Christ loved us. Paul wrote to the Romans of the call to be a living sacrifice.
Using Jesus as our model is a reiteration of the same theme. Think of Jesus’ kind of love: He embraced cheaters and prostitutes. He touched lepers and dead people. He was sometimes very tender and sometimes very harsh. He always told the truth, even when it hurt. He loved sinners but hated sin. He let people self-destruct—Pharisees, insincere seekers, Peter in his denial—never compromising principles for the sake of sentiment. He was incredibly patient with hardheaded disciples. And He bled.
IN DEED Does that description of Jesus’ love reflect the kind of love we show each other in the church and in the world? Probably not. We have a long way to go. But there’s no way we can worship this God without a desire to be like Him—especially in His love. Paul frequently makes Jesus our prime example. So much for attainable goals! But a God worth worshiping would never settle for mediocrity anyway. We must press on. His love compels us. “He who is filled with love is filled with God Himself.” – Augustine (“Worship the King” by Chris Tiegreen)

In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul captures what it is like to be loved by God. Chapter 1 contains some of the richest descriptions (Paul’s prayer is a single sentence of over 200 words!) of how God loves us. Take time this week to read through Ephesians and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand the heights, depths, and breadth of God’s love for you – and how you can love God and others in response to His love. Have a blessed week! – from Singapore, Pastor Sam