Imagine a lapidarist looking through her loupe and discovering the purist, whitest diamond she’s ever seen, cut with such precision that the stone sparkles with startling intensity. Can you imagine her, turning the stone this way and that, to marvel at the treasure?
In similar fashion, I invite you to marvel at and enjoy another treasure, a treasure of the heart–God’s love.
With the loupe of meditation, consider that God’s love is . . .
. . . unfathomable
“When we meditate on this amazing love, our souls may well faint for joy.”[1]
. . . unstoppable
“Every door that opens into a treasure of love shows another door into another treasury beyond. We need not fear that we shall ever come to the end of God’s goodness, or any experience for which he will have no blessing ready.”[2]
. . . unearned
“God loves us because of who he is, not because of who we are.”—Unknown
. . . unconditional
“When I begin the day drenched in [God’s secure love]—that centering awareness of my worth and connection to God—the day is different. I don’t have to scramble or hustle. Fear dissipates . . . because unconditional love changes everything.”[3]
. . . unwavering
“God’s steadfast love is chesed [in Hebrew], which means ‘kind, generous, loyal, and unfailing.’ Chesed means kindness on steroids.”[4]
. . . unfailing
“God’s goodness is near us. It is not a goodness far away, but God follows us with His goodness in whatever situation we are. He attaches Himself to us, He has made Himself close, that He might be near us in goodness.
“He is a father, and everywhere to maintain us. He is a husband, and everywhere to help. He is a friend, and everywhere to comfort and counsel. His love is a near love. He has taken upon Himself the closest kinds of relationships, so that we may never lack God and the evidences of His love.”[5]
. . . unlimited
“With both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.”[6]
* * * * * * * * * *
I praise you, Heavenly Father, for these facets of your lavish love that only begin to describe your devotion to us. I praise You that, out of your tender-hearted love, your foremost objective is always our best interest. And I praise you for guiding us on the path toward the abundant life you so desire to give us.
May the beauty and magnitude of your love sparkle with such intensity in our spirits that nothing will be able to discourage us.
1 John 3:1; Romans 8:28; Psalm 23:3; John 10:10
[1] Charles Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, 158.
[2] J. R. Miller, quoted in Seasons of the Lord by Herbert Lockyer, 199.
[3] Shauna Niequist, Present over Perfect, 205.
[4] Chrystal Evans Hurst, Kingdom Woman Devotional, 109.
[5] Richard Sibbes (1577-1635), Puritan theologian
[6] Ephesians 3:17-18 MSG
Art and photo credits: http://www.pexels.com (Plato Terentev); http://www.canva.com (2); http://www.rawpixel.com (2).
From the Inside Out 
Nancy, this is a beautiful post on the love of God. Those 7 words beginning with a “U” are beautiful descriptions of His amazing love! Thank you, dear one!
Thank you, Pam. Praise God you found beauty here! Seven descriptors seemed the right number of quotes to include, not only for length, but more because seven is the number of perfection in scripture. His love for us is certainly perfect!
Wow! This is perhaps one of the most beautiful posts that I have ever read…thank you for sharing this powerful reflection on God’s abiding love.
I’m so glad you found beauty here, Linda. I certainly enjoyed collecting these quotes. Each one was a delightful discovery, ministering afresh just how glorious God’s love is for us.
What a great way to start my day, Nancy! Being reminded of God’s endless and unconditional love for all of us is like an adrenaline rush of the Spirit.
Blessings!
Martha, that’s a great way to express the joy in our spirits when we revel in God’s love for a spell!
It is such a comfort to know how much the Father loves us!
Couldn’t agree with you more, Lori! Sometimes the realization of my unworthiness gets in the way of appreciating and enjoying His love fully. This review was comforting to me too.
beautiful and just what I needed to read today. Thank you f or your words!
Praise God you found this post meaningful, Jean!
I love the image of examining the treasure of God’s love, and you have done just that in the examples and scriptures you have shared. That’s a treasure, too! Thank you, Nancy!
Thank you, Patty. These quotes and scriptures touched my spirit, so I was hopeful they’d do the same for others!
They sure did just that for me.
“The loupe of meditation” — what a great frame for reflecting on God’s peerless love, imaged for us in living scintillation. Coruscation. Lavish dazzle. Thank you for new facets to contemplate . . .
And thank you, Laurie, for your delightful descriptive phrases. (Had to look up coruscation! 😁 )
Beautiful.
Thank you, Anna, and praise God he prompted me to start collecting those descriptors of his love and the quotes to accompany them. It was a delightful exercise!
Such a lovely way to describe God’s love for us! That He treasures us is unfathomable, indeed. Lately I’m been so aware of how He holds my hand through every single day. It is a very real comfort.
Thank you, Cheri. It is a glorious wonder to sense God’s comforting presence with us!
I love the quote you’ve included under “unearned”, Nancy. I think many of us need to be reminded of this essential aspect of God’s love. “Lapidarist” is a new one on me, and I smiled at “loupe of meditation”. What a beautiful metaphor!
The knowledge that God’s love is unearned provides sweet relief from the tyranny of performance, doesn’t it? So glad you enjoyed the metaphor, Dave. “Loupe of meditation” just popped into my head as I drafted. Of course, we know where such thoughts comes from. Praise God for his inspiration!