A Friendly Talk: Walking in God's Principles The Bridge — Knowing the One We Walk With Chapter 8: God is Love

Let us sit down for a moment and reflect on the meaning of God’s love. There is so much to say, and even after we try to put it all together, our words will still fall short. God explains His love perfectly through His Word, and because of that, this reflection may take more time than my other friendly talks. It is important for us to slow down and truly seek to understand the depth of His love.

In the Bible, Jesus teaches that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love others. Why is this so important?

Because God is love, everything that is truly good flows from who He is. His love is reflected in goodness, kindness, gentleness, fairness, righteousness, compassion, and mercy. It reflects who God is—from His strength to His holiness, from His justice to His grace. His love never contradicts His holiness, and His holiness never contradicts His justice. Everything within God’s character exists in perfect harmony.

To love others is also a way of showing our love for God. I often say that when we truly love someone, we care about them, we give of ourselves, and we are willing to make sacrifices for them. Love is more than something we say—it is something we show. And God gave us the greatest example of this love in John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Can we truly comprehend what God did for us? Can we fully imagine the weight of that sacrifice? Through the Lord Jesus Christ—through what He endured, suffered, and accomplished—we see both the justice and righteousness of God, but also the greatness of His mercy and love.

Imagine if we could gather all the mercy and love from every person who has ever lived and place it on a scale. Even then, compared to the love and mercy of God, it would be less than a speck of weight. I believe it would be even less than that. Human grief and suffering can feel overwhelming, but even our deepest sorrow has limits. God’s love has no limits, and because His love is perfect, His grief over sin and suffering is deeper than we can fully understand. No one can love more than God, and no one can grieve over our brokenness more than God.

God is all-present and all-knowing. As children of God, we are invited into relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. Before you and I were created, before sin, sickness, and evil took root in the world, God already knew the suffering His Son would endure.

The Bible shows us that sin brings separation, and the pain and agony caused by sin are beyond what we can measure. Yet God was not absent from that suffering. He knew it, He saw it, and He carried out His perfect plan of redemption through love.

The Father loves the Son with a pure and holy love, and the Son loves the Father with that same perfect love. This is the love God desires to share with us through Christ.

Jesus said in John 10:9, NKJV

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”

Jesus is the door to the Father. He is the door to salvation, to mercy, and to the pure holiness of God’s love. Through Him, we enter into a love we could never reach on our own—a sacrificial love planned perfectly by the Father and fulfilled perfectly through the Son. His love paid the price for our sin, opened the way back to God, and invited us into the holy love that only God can give.

Through the Son’s holy willingness to give Himself for us, we see God’s love and justice revealed together. The Father gave His Son, and Jesus willingly laid down His life for our redemption. The sacrifice of Jesus is the greatest reflection of love, and no sin is greater than the saving power of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. God is ready to pure out forgiveness to the heart that turns to Him through Jesus Christ.

This is the love of God, and it does not end at forgiveness. We are protected by His love, provided for by His love, strengthened through His love, and nurtured in His love. His blessings fall because of His goodness, His grace, and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Through Jesus, God gave us a door, and He gave us a name by which we can come to Him in prayer. He invites us to bring Him into every decision, every action, every intention, and every motive. He waits to guide us with His love and goodness. He gave us His Word because He loves us, so that we would have direction, strength, faith, and truth in every situation.

So do not think that in your storms, struggles, pain, grief, or sacrifice, God is distant or unaware. He isn’t. He sees us. He knows what we are carrying. And He calls us closer to Him. No matter how many times we fall, His mercy remains available, and His love remains the same. We cannot out-love God, because He loved us first.

I encourage you to tell Him how much you love Him every chance you have. Those words will not only honor God, but they will also nurture our own heart to love Him more and to love others more. God is there—right beside you on your worst days and on your good days. He is there to love us, guide us, strengthen us, and hold us in His love.

He meets us exactly where we are—in what we feel, in what we are passing through, and in what we hold inside. Does any of that stop His love? No. God loves us right there.

In His grace, Jesus became the door Himself. He made a way where there was no way, inviting us to walk through Him and find safety, peace, and lasting strength in Him. Through love, we come to know God more deeply—His nature, His heart, and His reflection within our own hearts.

If you want to experience the most beautiful and profound awakening of the heart, allow yourself to be loved and cherished by the One who loved you first—our Lord, our God, the holiness of true love.

Final Thoughts

How can we share the profound, endless love of God and live within His love every single day? It begins with an honest heart and prayer—a surrendered heart covered by His grace and forgiveness. Because God is love, He has made a way for us to be forgiven through Jesus Christ. Through Him, our sins can be washed away, our past no longer has to define us, and the door is opened to a personal relationship with God.

Jesus made it beautifully clear that we are called to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind—and to love others as well. And one of the greatest ways we demonstrate that love is by extending forgiveness as God has forgiven us. Forgiveness is where love becomes visible; it is where we begin laying down our hurts and choosing grace over resentment.

Yet, in our own strength, both our love and our forgiveness fall short. We get tired, we get hurt, and we run out of patience. That is why God did not just leave us with a commandment; He gave us His Holy Spirit, and we can choose each day to surrender to His leading with a sincere heart.

When we believe in Jesus Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior, we enter into this relationship with God, and the Holy Spirit begins to grow a beautiful harvest within us. The Bible reminds us in Galatians 5:22–23 that this harvest is the Fruit of the Spirit. It is not a list of rules we must force ourselves to follow. Instead, the Fruit of the Spirit reflects God’s character as the Holy Spirit works within our lives. It is God’s love and forgiveness put into action.

Think of it this way:

• Love is the foundation—the root of the entire harvest.

• Joy is God’s love bringing gladness to our hearts, even in the middle of our storms.

• Peace is God’s love resting within our hearts, trusting that He is in control.

• Longsuffering (Patience) is God’s love waiting, enduring, and forgiving when things are difficult.

• Kindness is God’s love reaching others through the care we show to those around us.

• Goodness is God’s love leading us to choose what is right and honor our God.

• Faithfulness is God’s love helping us remain loyal and true—to God and to others.

• Gentleness is God’s love approaching others with care, mercy, and compassion.

• Self-control is choosing more of Him and less of our own desires, so that our lives can honor Him.

When you look closely, every single one of these graces is just a different shade of God’s perfect love. You cannot truly love or forgive others without kindness, gentleness, and patience. And you cannot truly honor God without faithfulness and self-control.

As you close these final thoughts today, remember that you do not have to rely on your own strength alone—especially when it comes to love or forgiveness. You cannot out-love God, but you can let His love fill you until it overflows.

In your everyday decisions, your quiet motives, and your interactions with family, friends, and strangers, lean into the Holy Spirit. Let Him cultivate His fruit in your life. As we love Him, forgive others, and allow His love to work within us, our lives become a living testimony of the greatest truth the world will ever know:

God is love.

"In our next Friendly Talk, we will discover the ultimate expression of God's heart—the moment love stepped out of eternity...

When the Word became flesh."

And remember—the real reward of seeking God... is God Himself.

And no matter how many times it takes—yes, again and again—we get up.

We look up. We pray. And we keep moving forward.

Not chasing perfection, but bringing an honest heart that loves God's truth.

God's desire is to help us and to hear from us. The closer we walk with Him, the further we stand from the enemy.

So, take a breath.

Take a step.

And trust that God's got the rest.

And remember—God doesn't just guide us with wisdom and purpose; He also blesses us with moments of joy, laughter, and peace along the journey.

A Little Smile Before You Go... 😊

A Sunday school teacher asked her class, "Johnny, does your family say a prayer before every meal?"

Johnny looked up and smiled, "No ma'am, we don't have to! My mom is a really good cook."

A friendly talk - Word became flesh

(coming soon)

God Bless.

God’s grace meets you right where you are, wrapping your heart

in a love that never let's go.