The Selfless Love of God

“Love…does not seek it’s own” 1 Corinthians 13:5

What sets God so far apart from humanity is his amazing love. The bible says that God is love. That means that everything that love is, God is.

There are different definitions for the word ‘love’ in the english language, so we need to be specific. Fortunately, the bible defines this God-kind of love for us. We find the definition in 1 Corinthians 13:

Love is patient and kind; love is not envious; loves does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. – 1 Cor 13:4-6

Since God is love, then God is all these things. God is patient and kind. God is not envious. God does not brag and is not arrogant. God is not rude. God is not self-seeking. God is not easily provoked, etc. All these things are a permanent part of God’s character and are present in all that He does. All of His dealings with us are done out of love, because that’s what He is.

One particularly amazing aspect of God’s love it’s selflessness. This particular characteristic of God is astounding to me. This selflessness will take you by surprise, because it is not something that we as humans are used to. We don’t see it very often. We are always suspect toward people because we know that the bottom line is ‘what’s in it for me?’ But it is not so with God. He truly and simply just cares about you, with no strings attached.

The only real place that we see this type of love demonstrated in the world that we live in is in a love of a mother for her child. Most mothers truly and simply love their children because they happen to be their children, and for no other reason. They will lay down their lives in every way for those children no matter how good or bad they have been. They just simply care for them.

This is the heart of our Heavenly Father. He simply loves and cares for His creation, because they are His creation. He wants only good for them and does all that is in His power to do good for them. He even takes it to the most extreme measure by demonstrating His love for them by laying down His own life to die on the cross. There is no greater demonstration of selfless love than to lay down your life.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends – John 15:13

But God’s love is much more perfect than even a mother’s love. God exercises His love with perfect wisdom. Sometimes He acts in a way that seems unloving to us, but in reality is the greatest act of the love that He can do. For example, He may allow you to go through a trial or a test that lasts longer than you thought you could handle. And even though you cry for deliverance, He delays His hand. During the trial you may question God, but after it’s all over you look back and see that God, in His love, was developing and strengthening your faith and patience, not to harm you, but to equip you. It can be a tough love, but its the best and most perfect type of love. A love that truly has your best interests in mind.

It’s important for us to recognize that God is this type of selfless love. We never need question His motives in what He does or does not do. Everything He does is done out of this amazing love that He has for a sinful people. The more we can learn to trust Him, and not buck against Him, the more we will see how He is shaping us into the type of person that we would be proud to be.