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Describe God's love

humble soul

humble soul

On Sabbatical from Rome
Member
I used to think God's love could be experienced when you are on a high. Like after hard physical exercise. Or listening to an emotional song in the car. Or a movie which takes you to another realm.
But maybe Gods love is not always
cosmetically beautiful. Just we didnt notice it. Like the sad depressed friend who appreciated your help.
 
As an emotion, it feels warm like sunshine. When I am depressed, it feels reassuring. When I pray it feels hopeful. When I am anxious it feels like serenity. When I do something wrong it feels like guilt. When I get instructions to do something it feels like urgency and sometimes I get a headache until I do it.

The Bible is full of metaphors which I love: wind, dove, comforter, counselor, gatekeeper. All of these metaphors make me feel good.

I am a very emotional person and this is how I get intimate with God. My favorite parts of the Bible are the scriptures that makes me feel closer to God. Scriptures about going to hell trigger my toxic shame and my depression. This is why I prefer the New Testament.

Of course God's love is best expressed in his grace which includes sending his son to save us. This makes me both sad and overjoyed.
 
humble soul said:
I used to think God's love could be experienced when you are on a high. Like after hard physical exercise. Or listening to an emotional song in the car. Or a movie which takes you to another realm.
But maybe Gods love is not always
cosmetically beautiful. Just we didnt notice it. Like the sad depressed friend who appreciated your help.
Click to expand...
God is love - so when we describe God's love we would be describing Him

the more i know God's love for me the more accurately i flow with God's desires for myself and others
 
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What I had to learn the hard way is that God's love is agape love. I used to think I was feeling God when I fell in love with a man. So I rationalized staying with an abusive husband thinking I was loving him. I woke up when people started writing books about codependency. Now I have found my way home to genuine love between me and God. Unfortunately I have "wreckage of the past," so I thank God for his grace and forgiveness.

1 Corinthians 4:7-8 - [AGAPE] love is patient kind rejoices in truth bears all thing believes all thing hopes all things endures all things - love is not envious prideful rude arrogant selfish easily angered - love never fails.
 
Exactly . . . God saved me but he sent me to AA before I found a church. The first thing they told me was that I had to "grow up." LOL

1 Corinthians 13:11 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a [mature person] , I put the ways of childhood behind me.

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Looking back I think it is hard for a guy in his twenties with a high sex drive to know what love is. Too distracted.
Lust and love are easily confused in our youth.
 
God's love isn't a feeling, though we may feel it in times of need or comfort. He always loves us so His love is always present with us. Even His discipline when we need to be disciplined is love. I suspect we would have difficulty functioning with our day to day if we felt His love all the time. We KNOW of His love by this:the life death and resurrection of Jesus for us number one. And day to day He feeds us, shelters us, directs our paths, clothes us, watches over us. The Bible tells us He loves us. So we know it always, feel it when He knows that's what we need most at that moment.
 
"Looking back I think it is hard for a guy in his twenties with a high sex drive to know what love is. Too distracted. Lust and love are easily confused in our youth."
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You are so right. For now just remember that there are all kinds of love and that agape love is the most important. They were all created by God for you to enjoy, but you have to prioritize. That is the secret. Agape is the important. Then self love. Then love of wife. Then love of family. Then love of your neighbor and save a little love for your enemy.

P.S. Sex is not love. Sex is a compulsion to procreate that has in this modern world become an art form known as lovemaking. As long as you stay with love making to someone you know and are with emotionally intimate with, you are not in danger of becoming a sex addict or a sinner or a fornicator. Whatever LOL
 
The first time I experienced God it was the absence of a feeling. For the first time since I was four years old I felt no FEAR. This had not yet become faith or confidence. This happened a few minutes later. But his calling card was simple. "Fear no more my child as I am with you."

Isaiah: "Do do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
 
I think God's love must be like a parent's love. Intense in it's comfort and care, protective and something to fear (if you are the person who harmed another person's family), but it is also like a parent that corrects and disciplines out of love so that the child will grow and mature to become a well balanced healthy person. Sometimes I think God lets us make our own mistakes kind of like a parent lets their kids roughhouse and get bruises playing. They let you learn on your own to not act so risky, and to be patient with you through the hospital visits and the crying.

This is mostly all theory though and observation based on my parents. If someone else who has had kids wants to confirm or correct these findings I'm more then happy to hear it.
 
For me, I would have to change Father to "Ideal Father," because my biological father left a little bit to be desired Your post is great. This imagery saved my son Karl. He had no father so he turned to God and Christ and the Holy Spirit for comfort. He would have been lost in anger and self-pity if he did not have God as his Father. I am not trying to change the subject. I am a hybrid of Christian and psychologist. The Christian part is still developing. All these posts are helping me. But I can't change all my spots at once.
 
If i were to analyse my parents love it would be that I received lots of Gods love through them. To be really honest though, I might have benefited from a more masculine father. One aware of giving guidance and role modelling confidence. It was like having two mothers sometimes. Now I feel guilty saying that because, my father was such a humble, virtuous man. Full of love and always ready with open arms to welcome you home. A real life Prodigal Father with no judgement.
 
So God's love might be a combination of perfect mother and perfect father.
Intuitive and nurturing plus decisive confident , logical and assertive.
So if we are lucky enough to gain access to this resevoir of love, we will live a more spiritual life.
 
Agape . . .

Uh gah pay ??????

This is the love between us and God.

For me personally, this gets complicated because at first agape was paternal, then maternal, then platonic, and for a couple of years romantic.

Everyone has to decide for themselves what agape feels like so this is a great thread. If will feel different to different people.

Just do not confuse it with the love you have with people down here on earth. Agape love always feels wonderful. It never feels painful or hopeless. It never ends. You never feel abandoned or afraid. It never lets your down. It is described best by Paul in Corinthians.
 
humble soul said:
So God's love might be a combination of perfect mother and perfect father. Intuitive and nurturing plus decisive confident , logical and assertive. So if we are lucky enough to gain access to this reservoir of love, we will live a more spiritual life.
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Yes . . . Amen . . . well put . . .
 
i guess Paul's ode to love in Corinthians is the go to verse. Just i would like to hear it in a fresh way.
 
humble soul said:
Maybe that is a sign of maturity. Growing in our understanding of what love means.
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You hit the nail on the head being that it is a sign of maturity. The more we press into God the more we start understanding the great love He has for us. Even when we mess up at times He is a Father that will correct us as He wants the best for us.

God's love is patient, kind, longsuffering towards us that He will never leave us or forsake us as He is the best friend we could ever have. The glory of His mercy and grace is found when we humble our selves before His throne of grace and surrender all of our self to Him.

Agape love is selfless, sacrificial love for others as in God loving us so much He gave His only begotten Son Christ Jesus that paid our debt for sin on the cross so that we can have eternal life with Him. This selfless act was given for all and it is those who believe by faith that Christ Jesus is that free gift of God's salvation by His mercy and grace.

Someone asked me what God's love feels like and I told them to find a quiet place, close your eyes, clear your mind and then wrap your arms around yourself as hard as you can and stay that way for at least five minutes if not longer and imagine God hugging you. They came back with tears streaming down their face as they truly felt God's love for the first time. I still do this myself once in awhile as it's such a warm wonderful feeling as I know God has me wrapped up in His arms.
 
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