Commissioned: Timeless Truth: The Gospel Made SimpleSample

God Loves

We have already looked at several Bible verses that tell us of God’s love for us, like John 3:16 and John 10:10. These verses tell us why Jesus came to earth: so that God could give us abundant, eternal life. But they do not give us the back story. For that, we must go back to the beginning, to the account of creation in the Book of Genesis.

The creation account is written to communicate spiritual truths, not scientific ones, but the spiritual truths it communicates to us are extremely important. One of the most important of all is this: God loved the human race from the beginning and desired close relationships with men and women. We see this in the care that God took to create a beautiful garden for the first people, full of delightful, delicious, and precious things. We see that man and woman lived in this garden without shame. And we see that God came in the cool of the evening to enjoy being with them.

Have you ever wondered, “Why did God create people?” God, being perfect, doesn’t need anything or anyone else. But God, who is a Trinity—three persons of One divine substance—eternally exists as a community of love. He created people so that we could share in the life of this loving community. We exist to receive God’s love—and to return His love. That is why He gave us free will because only free persons can love.

God’s love for the world was not an afterthought. From the beginning He intended us for a love relationship with Himself. As the country song says, we are “Looking for love in all the wrong places.” As the Church Father, Augustine of Hippo, once said, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."

Stop, think and pray:

Let’s enjoy God’s love in our meditation today. Think of ways that God has been good to you: relationships he has gifted to you, things he has given you, blessings he has allowed you to experience.

"Lord, thank you for your endless love and countless blessings. I am grateful for your presence in my life and for the strength, peace, and joy you provide each day. Thank you are giving yourself to me, in the Eucharist and in the Holy Spirit. I love you, Lord. Amen."