God is Love

Pastor Mike Novotny

Want to hear three words that would have sounded wild to the religious crowd of the first century? Here goes—God is love. Read the myths and legends about Zeus and Apollo and Aphrodite, and you’ll realize that a God of love was crazier than a Hallmark movie with a zombie-infested ending! 

But this was the claim that swept through the ancient Greek world when Christians like John preached: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Can you imagine hearing that for the first time? I bet that news sounded so strange and so good.

It did for Pop. Pinyaluck, a friend of mine who goes by Pop, grew up in Thailand, where 99.9% of people are religious. The Thai people, in general, have a conception of a higher power that they are accountable to, but one day Pop heard something new—God is love. That thought rocked her world and led her to Jesus, the Bible, and the moment I baptized her in the name of the God who is love. 

If that idea seems new to you too, I encourage you to seek answers from a Christian you know and respect (or email us at Time of Grace!). But if God’s loving nature is something you’ve heard since you were a kid, pause today and consider how different life would be if God was not love. Then with all the praise you can muster, give glory to the God who loves to define himself with a short, simple, stunning sentence—God is love.

Devotional used by permission of Time of Grace®. For more information, visit www.timeofgrace.org