God Is Love

There are Bible verses that can stand alone as pearls of wisdom and strength, such as:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6.

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalms 46:10a.

But generally it is best to read any passage of scripture in the context of the entire book it comes from and the message of the Bible as a whole. Sometimes the best revelations about God come when we look at two passages together and ponder how they complement each other to exalt God’s message of mercy and redemption.

1 John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” I like to take the last thought here — that God IS love — and bring it together with other passages regarding love. For example, consider the famous love passage from 1 Corinthians 13:1-8. What if the noun “love” was replaced with God in this passage, since God is love?

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not [GOD], I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not [GOD], I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not [GOD], I gain nothing.

[GOD] is patient, [GOD] is kind. [HE] does not envy, [HE] does not boast, [HE] is not proud. [GOD] is not rude, [GOD] is not self-seeking, [GOD] is not easily angered, [GOD] keeps no record of wrongs. [GOD] does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [HE] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 [GOD] never fails.

Truly God is love, the greatest love we can ever know. Without Him I am nothing but a resounding gong. Without His saving grace, I have nothing of any value because I have not my eternal soul. He has been exceedingly patient with me and always kind. Because of Jesus, He keeps no record of my wrongs. He is forever my protector and my strength. His glory will never fail.