For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16(NIV)
You’re the apple of God’s eye.
Do you believe that?
Okay, someone may ask what that even means: to be the apple of His eye?
The apple of the eye is that dark center of the eye called the pupil. This is an extremely sensitive part of the eye; that is why it is protected by eyelids, lashes, and reflexes.
Meaning it is precious. It needs to be guarded at all times.
When the Bible calls us the apple of God’s eye, it means we are carefully protected, cherished, and loved.
But why does God love us so much?
I genuinely had a list of reasons God loves us, but none of them were cutting it.
Only this one reason cut it for me, and here it is:
God is love
Our heavenly Father is love, and as such, it is His nature to love.
That is to say, He loves us because that is who He is.
His love is not a reaction to us. It is not earned, increased, or diminished by what we do. God does not love us because we are perfect, but because He is. His love flows from His own heart, not from our performance, which means it remains steady even when we feel unworthy or unsure.
This kind of love is hard for us to grasp because we are used to conditional or limited love. But God’s love is different. It is constant, patient, and deeply intentional.
He sees us fully, including our weaknesses and broken places, and still chooses to love us without holding back. His love is not blind; it is fully aware, yet fully committed.
And perhaps that is what makes His love so powerful.
It is a love that chooses us, again and again.
Not because we have earned it, but because we are His. We were created by Him and for Him, and His heart is drawn toward what belongs to Him.
So the depth of His love is not a mystery rooted in us, but a revelation of Him.
Why We Need to Understand God’s Love
God’s Love leads to Repentance
What made you and me surrender our lives to Jesus?
God’s love, right?
We heard the gospel of how God sent His only Son to die on the cross for us. Or God revealed Himself to us and revealed His love to us in one way or another, and we surrendered our lives to Jesus.
Knowing how much God loves us changes our minds about sin, God, and people.
It helps us to love others
God’s love helps us to see others through the lens of the cross.
It enables us to see others the way God sees them, even when they mess up or disappoint us.
God’s love also gives us the strength to forgive those who hurt us, even when we think they don’t deserve our forgiveness.
His love will enable you to love others without expecting anything in return (John 13:34-35).
God’s Love gives us Hope
One thing I have learned over time is that God will never disappoint us. We may not understand some things when they are happening, but if we choose to be patient with God’s ways, then we will eventually understand what He has been doing in our lives.
If God gave up His Son for you, then He will fulfill His promises in your life.
The power of God’s love will give you hope in your darkest times. It will keep you going even when you’re weary and on the verge of giving up.
Helps us to Accept Ourselves
The truth is, many of us struggle to accept ourselves, flaws and all.
We tend to be very critical of ourselves.
But it should not be that way.
We need to love ourselves. Yes, it’s not selfish to love yourself. If God created and loves you, why shouldn’t you love yourself?
That said, there is a right and wrong way to love yourself. With the rise of the ‘self-love’ movement, we need to be careful about how we love ourselves.
It is important to love yourself, but it is not right to become selfish, self-centered, and arrogant all in the name of self-love.
And that is where God’s love comes in.
Understanding God’s love for you will help you appreciate God, others, and yourself. God loves you more in a moment than you will ever love yourself in a lifetime.
Jesus, the good shepherd, laid down His life for you. So you’re a valuable person.
God’s Love Casts Out Fear
We struggle with fear from time to time.
And it is only the love of God that helps us to overcome fear.
We are told in the word of God that there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts away fear (1 John 4:18).
When we take time to understand God’s love, it will help us cast out any fear.
Characteristics of God’s Love
Suffers long
According to the Jewish culture, when the prodigal son asked for his share of the inheritance, he was disowning his father.
Despite his reckless behavior, his father looked forward to his return someday.
The Bible says that his father saw him from a distance and felt compassion for him. But how was he able to see him from afar? I believe it’s because his father was always hopeful that his son would return home. So he kept checking, hoping, and waiting. (Luke 15:20)
The father’s love for the son was long-suffering. He did not wait for his son to apologize; the father ran and welcomed him home.
This parable describes God’s love for us. Our Father is long-suffering. He patiently waits for us in our mess. He waits for us to turn to Him.
God’s love is Eternal
As painful as it is, human love has limits. It cannot stop death or keep us together forever in this life. It reminds us that even the most beautiful relationships on earth are temporary.
But God’s love is not like that. His love is not bound by time, seasons, or even death itself. It does not weaken, fade, or end. Where human love reaches its limit, God’s love continues. Where we are forced to let go, He still holds on.
His love is from everlasting to everlasting, before we were born and long after this life is over.
It is a love that carries us through every season and secures us beyond the grave.
Never Fails
People will fail you.
But God’s love will never fail.
Even though there are billions of people in this world, God loves each one of us.
All of us are the apples of His eyes, and He loves us more than we can imagine.
We may reject God, but He will never reject us as long as we are living in this world.
God’s Love Bears all things
While we can tolerate people to a certain level, we stop loving them when they overstep their boundaries. Even if we choose to love them, it will not be the same way.
On the other hand, God bears our rejection, disobedience, and many things we humans do to him. He does not have to do it. After all, God can do perfectly fine without us. But he’s such a loving father who can bear our flaws and weaknesses.
This does not mean we should live as we want and get away with sin. A day of reckoning is approaching.
But it reveals just how patient God is with us. We should never take His love for granted, because no one will ever love you the way God does.
Not even yourself.
God’s Love is Selfless
Often, we love people because we are connected to them by family, friendship, or shared experiences.
At times, we also love because of what we receive in return, whether it’s comfort, support, or a sense of belonging.
But God’s love is different. He loves us simply because He is love. His love is not based on what He can gain from us, but on what He desires to give to us when we receive Him.
Yes, we are called to obey the commandments God has given us. To some, this may make His love seem conditional. But when we look closely at His commandments, we begin to see that they are given for our good, not His benefit.
For example, we are told to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul, not because God is lacking or in need of our affection, but because loving Him aligns our hearts with His.
When we love God, we surrender our lives into His hands. And in that place of surrender, we experience His covering, His guidance, and the fullness of His love. It is through this relationship that we can walk in His protection and enjoy the blessings He freely gives.
In the end, we see that God’s love for us is truly selfless. It is not about what He gains from us, but about what we receive from Him when we open our hearts to His love.
20 Signs God Loves You
- God wants to be with you forever
- He is mindful of you
- He knows you by name
- God formed you in His image
- You are the object of His love
- His love for you never ends
- God gave up His only Son for you
- God forgave and redeemed you
- God has given you dominion
- God has given you everything needed for life and godliness
- God has delivered you from the power of darkness
- God fights your battles
- God supplies all your needs
- God comforts, restores, and strengthens you
- God answers your prayers
- God is your shepherd and carries you
- God protects you and commands angels concerning you
- God has sealed you with the Holy Spirit
- God has raised you up with Christ and seated you with Him
- He is preparing a place for you
Love is important because it is the solid reason why God created us.
Unfortunately, many of us are looking for love in the wrong places. We need to understand why God loves us. And to accept His love so that we can live as God intended us to live in this world.
We cannot give what we do not have. Knowing and understanding God’s love is essential for every human being. The more we bask in God’s love and embrace it, the easier it will be for us to pour it on others.