وجبـــــــة روحيـــــ(†)ــــــــــة يوميـــــــــة

[Mary Naeem]

Part of God’s character is faithfulness: “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9; see also Isaiah 49:7 1 Thessalonians 5:24). In our struggles and failures, God is faithful to forgive us when we confess our sin and return to Him: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In times when we stumble and fall, it is immensely encouraging to know that God will never abandon us. Even when we are utterly unfaithful, God remains faithful and true because that is who He is; it is God’s character to be faithful (2 Timothy 2:13; see also Revelation 19:11).
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[Mary Naeem]

God is truthful, and His Word is true: “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20; see also John 17:17). God and His Word form a trustworthy foundation for life (Psalm 12:6; 26:3; 33:4; 43:3; 86:11). In Him is no falsehood, lies, or deception (Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 45:19; Romans 1:25; Hebrews 6:18). What God says is absolutely reliable (Jeremiah 10:10). His Word is consistent with His character and His revelation of Himself (John 7:28; 8:26). Because of God’s character, we can count on Him to fulfill His promises (Psalm 31:5)

[Mary Naeem]

Patience and longsuffering are attributes of God’s character. He is “slow to anger,” dealing patiently with rebellious sinners (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 86:15. God was patient in delaying the flood in Noah’s time while the ark was under construction, giving sinners plenty of time for repentance (1 Peter 3:20). Likewise, the prolonging of Christ’s return is not an indication of slowness or hesitation on God’s part, but of His longsuffering, as He does not want anyone to die without the opportunity to repent, be saved, and enter into His family (2 Peter 3:9–10). At the heart of God’s character is His desire to be a Father to all who draw near to Him (Psalm 68:5; 103:13; Isaiah 63:16; 64:8; Ephesians 4:6; 1 John 3:1).

[Mary Naeem]

The more deeply we dig into the Scriptures, the more we will uncover new and beautiful facets to the character of God. And the longer we spend time with Him and in His Word, the better we will know and understand His nature. We will discover that God never changes (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17), that He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and always present everywhere (Psalm 139:7–10; Hebrews 4:13). He is perfect (Matthew 5:48), and He is three in one. We can spend a lifetime seeking after Him and still only scratch the surface of comprehending the depth of our heavenly Father’s character.

[Mary Naeem]

Does the Bible teach that God is love?




The Bible does teach that God is love, yet it also describes that He is much more than just love. In 1 John, the apostle John affirms twice that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). In many other passages, the Bible describes the love that God expresses, but only John actually says that God is love. Clearly, John is not implying that God is only a concept or that He is equal to love. On the contrary, John consistently recognizes God as personal, but described as love. While love is a central attribute of God, there are other divine attributes that are important, and one in particular may be even more definitive of who God is.

While John records that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16), he also records the scene in heaven with the four creatures who constantly say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come” (Revelation 4:8). John explains that God is love, but he also communicates that the creatures God surrounds Himself with repeatedly affirm His holiness. It seems that God most wants to be understood as being holy, or totally set apart.

The scene John records in Revelation is similar to what Isaiah sees in Isaiah 6. God is sitting on His throne, and Isaiah sees seraphim who are constantly calling out, saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is filled with His glory” (Isaiah 6:3, AMP). Isaiah understands the grace, compassion, and lovingkindness of God (Isaiah 43:4; 48:14; 61:8; 63:9). At the same time, Isaiah records the priority God places on His own holiness. This helps us understand that God’s love is much higher and “more” than any kind of love we could imagine. As Isaiah also records, God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8–9). In other words, even God’s love is defined by His holiness. We should remember that, while God is love and He is very loving, love is an expression of His holy character. Consequently, we have to rely on Him to define what love is and how He wants us to express that love.

Thankfully, God does exactly that. He affirms His love for all humanity (John 3:16) as expressed through Jesus Christ. He challenges those who have believed in Jesus to think like Him, maintaining the same love (Philippians 2:2) and following His example of humility and service to others (Philippians 2:5–8). Because God has loved us, we ought to love Him and each other (1 John 4:19). If we are loving God with the holy kind of love He expects, we must also be loving our brother (1 John 4:20).

God is holy, and He is love. He has expressed His love to the whole world in many ways, but most significantly through Jesus Christ. He expects us to receive His love by believing in Jesus (Romans 5:1–2), and then we need to learn more about how to love Him and love others in a manner worthy of our calling (Ephesians 3:14–19; 4:1). God is holy. God is love. As we have become His children by belief in Jesus Christ, He expects that we would reflect both holiness and love (1 Peter 1:15–16; 1 Thessalonians 4:9).

[Mary Naeem]

The Bible does teach that God is love, yet it also describes that He is much more than just love. In 1 John, the apostle John affirms twice that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). In many other passages, the Bible describes the love that God expresses, but only John actually says that God is love. Clearly, John is not implying that God is only a concept or that He is equal to love. On the contrary, John consistently recognizes God as personal, but described as love. While love is a central attribute of God, there are other divine attributes that are important, and one in particular may be even more definitive of who God is.

[Mary Naeem]

While John records that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16), he also records the scene in heaven with the four creatures who constantly say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come” (Revelation 4:8). John explains that God is love, but he also communicates that the creatures God surrounds Himself with repeatedly affirm His holiness. It seems that God most wants to be understood as being holy, or totally set apart.

[Mary Naeem]

The scene John records in Revelation is similar to what Isaiah sees in Isaiah 6. God is sitting on His throne, and Isaiah sees seraphim who are constantly calling out, saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is filled with His glory” (Isaiah 6:3, AMP). Isaiah understands the grace, compassion, and lovingkindness of God (Isaiah 43:4; 48:14; 61:8; 63:9). At the same time, Isaiah records the priority God places on His own holiness. This helps us understand that God’s love is much higher and “more” than any kind of love we could imagine. As Isaiah also records, God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8–9). In other words, even God’s love is defined by His holiness. We should remember that, while God is love and He is very loving, love is an expression of His holy character. Consequently, we have to rely on Him to define what love is and how He wants us to express that love.
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[Mary Naeem]

Thankfully, God does exactly that. He affirms His love for all humanity (John 3:16) as expressed through Jesus Christ. He challenges those who have believed in Jesus to think like Him, maintaining the same love (Philippians 2:2) and following His example of humility and service to others (Philippians 2:5–8). Because God has loved us, we ought to love Him and each other (1 John 4:19). If we are loving God with the holy kind of love He expects, we must also be loving our brother (1 John 4:20).

[Mary Naeem]

God is holy, and He is love. He has expressed His love to the whole world in many ways, but most significantly through Jesus Christ. He expects us to receive His love by believing in Jesus (Romans 5:1–2), and then we need to learn more about how to love Him and love others in a manner worthy of our calling (Ephesians 3:14–19; 4:1). God is holy. God is love. As we have become His children by belief in Jesus Christ, He expects that we would reflect both holiness and love (1 Peter 1:15–16; 1 Thessalonians 4:9).