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God's Personal Love

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · May 12, 1904

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 81, No. 19.

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God's Personal Love

It is a delightful thought that the love of God is personal. It is not a general beneficence, but a direct personal love. “Who loved me, and gave himself for me,” said Paul. The thought of the immediate and direct love of his Lord was ever present with him. Jesus declared his love for his disciples, and of one it is written, “The disciple . . . whom he loved.” And everywhere in the Scriptures the thought is the same. God loves the world, his care is for all; but that is so because he loves and cares for each one. As soon as we recognize the personality of God, we become conscious of a personal relation to him; and when we receive the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, we know the relation is one of tenderest love.
This sense of the personal love of God, so that we can say as Thomas did, “My Lord and my God,” brings us into close relation with the whole administration of God. All power in heaven and earth is given to Christ, and we are, therefore, allied to the whole universe of God. We look up to the heavens, they are ours; we look abroad over the earth, it also is ours; we think of the angels, they are ours—the servants of Christ to go forth as ministering spirits to minister to the heirs of salvation. What a wonderful love! What a wonderful sweep there is in this love! All things are yours, and ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s!
The assurance of this personal love gives us confidence in the providence of God. “Thou . . . holdest me for thine enemy,” said Job. It seemed to him that God regarded him as a guilty one to be tracked and seized and punished; everything was against him. He never forgot those days of fearful trial, but there came a day when he praised the Lord, and lived in the assurance of his wise care. Since it is the pierced hand that holds the scepter, we may be sure that the love which redeemed us when we were enemies will govern the administration of the kingdom. He “loved me, and gave himself for me;” I know that he will make all things work together for my good.—United Presbyterian