Of God's Love in Action ---

For as long as I can remember, I wrestled with questions of belonging. I knew who my biological parents were, but I did not grow up with them. My mother suffered from schizophrenia. When I was around two years old, I was removed from her care and placed in foster care. I was told that when I was taken from my mother's home, my backside was raw from a diaper that had been left on far too long. That painful detail was more than a medical fact. It painted a vivid picture of neglect and planted a message in my young heart that I was not carefully cared for or closely watched over. The first foster house I entered became the only "home" I understood as a child. It was busy, crowded, and often emotionally cold. The foster mother provided structure and survival, but she was not openly affectionate, so warm words and tenderness were rare. Behind those walls were painful experiences and confusing encounters no child should have to process, and when I tried to say something was wrong, I was not believed. Mistreatment from other children added to the fear. Because this was the only life I knew, I normalized it and learned to survive in a place where my heart did not feel safe, and my voice did not feel heard. When my foster mother offered to adopt me, I declined. Looking back, I know that my decision was not so much a rejection of her as it was a display of my inner confusion and grief. Although adoption symbolized that I was wanted, I internally believed that I was not. When I was abruptly removed at 16, it added to the confusion, unspoken pain, and the growing belief that I was disposable. Even in confusion, God's hand was on my life. At the age of fourteen, I was saved and received the precious gift of the Holy Ghost. Yet, even after such a profound encounter with God's Spirit, there remained a quiet void inside of me. My heart was sincere, but my early wounds and wrong beliefs about belonging and worth had not yet been healed. Even in the middle of answered prayers, I carried a quiet, deep discontentment. I loved my family, but I still felt empty. I served in ministry and eventually became a pastor, but there was a part of me that still believed I was not truly favored or deeply delighted in by God. In my 30s, I was diagnosed with a genetic heart disease called Yamaguchi syndrome. The diagnosis brought up additional identity questions because of the unknown medical histories of my biological parents. My physical reality complicated my mental and emotional health as well. I felt as though the ministry I had poured myself into, the dignity I had tried to hold on to, and the false pride I had carried all began to crumble and slip through my fingers. I felt God had forsaken me. I interpreted my losses as proof that I was no longer favored. Several years later, I had a stroke. When I was diagnosed, I was informed that this was my second stroke and that those can either be more critical or fatal. Hearing that I had survived without ever being aware of a first shook me. It confronted me with the reality that my life could have ended, and yet God had spared me. As God began to heal and restore me, the Holy Spirit began to connect the dots between my story, sin, pain, and God's relentless mercy. I started to see that my survival was not an accident or happenstance. It was an expression of God's love and purpose. The truth is, God loved me from the beginning. He loved me as a neglected toddler whose diaper had not been changed and as a boy growing up in a house filled with trauma, where affection was scarce, and pain was often dismissed. He loved me as a teenager, abruptly sent away and searching for identity, as a young man praying for a wife and family, as a pastor who struggled with covetousness and pride, and as a broken man standing in front of a mirror. He loved me through my strokes, fears, and the seasons when I wrongly believed I was not favored. When that truth finally began to sink in, my understanding of love and belonging changed. I realized I did not need to covet material things to prove my worth or chase after people or a position to feel important. I did not have to live as if I were on the outside looking in. In Christ, I was already fully known, fully seen, and fully loved. Today, my testimony is not that I have lived a perfect life, but that a perfect God has loved me through every imperfection. This is why I am qualified to write about the love of God. Not because I am a pastor or a student of Scripture, but as a man whose life has been rescued by that love again and again. My prayer is that as you continue through this book, you will not only learn about God's love but that you will encounter it, just as I did, in the very places you thought were beyond His reach.

The True Nature of God's Love --- God's love, as described in Scripture, is often called agape love. Unlike human love, which is frequently conditional and based on emotions or circumstances, agape love is unconditional, selfless, and sacrificial. It is not dependent on our actions or worthiness but is rooted in God's very nature. While human love can be flawed and limited, God's love is perfect, steadfast, and eternal. Human love often changes. It can fade, waver, or depend on how someone treats us, but agape love remains constant. God's love never fails, for He is love itself. "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." 1 John 4:8 One of the greatest questions we can ever ask is, "Why does God love us so much?" The answer is simple. It is His nature to love. Love is not something God does; it is who He is. Biblical Examples of God's Love Throughout the Bible, we find countless examples that reveal the depth and breadth of God's love. In John 3:16, we see the ultimate demonstration: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 This act of divine self-sacrifice perfectly illustrates the essence of agape love. It's the love that gives without expecting anything in return. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 This verse reminds us that God's love is not based on our performance, but on His divine nature. He loved us before we ever loved Him. The Power of Obedience and Love When I was very sick and in the hospital, I truly believed I might die. I mentally prepared to leave this world. Yet, even in my weakness, I knew God loved me and that I would not leave this world until He called me home. In that moment, I experienced the depth of God's love in a personal way. I didn't deserve it, but He gave it freely. "God's love is a gift and He is waiting to pour it out upon us."