Elohim Ahavah – The God Who Loves
The central characteristic of God’s nature is love. The Apostle John states that He is love itself (1 John 4:7). Paul tells us that the love God has for us is too wide, long, high, and deep for us to fully comprehend. It is certainly the attribute that makes all the others meaningful and valuable to mankind.
We have examined God’s power and His righteousness; if He did not have a tender heart toward His creation, those qualities would spell our utter destruction. Psalms 14:3 (RSV) lays out the case against us: “They have all gone astray, they are all alike and corrupt; there is none that does good, no not one.” From the beginning we have rejected Him, gone our own way, and sought to put our faith in worthless idols. Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV) states that it is because of His great love that we are not consumed. His mercies toward us are new every morning.
But what is love? We tend to take a romantic view of it as an emotional tide that ebbs and flows, but to God, it is an unshakeable decision, a rock-solid commitment. We can never be separated from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). Paul defines love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. It is patient and kind, not jealous or proud. Love doesn’t demand its own way. It’s not irritable and doesn’t keep a tally of wrongs. It rejoices in truth rather than injustice. It never gives up, never loses faith. Never loses hope. It never fails. This is a description of our God who is Love.
We have spent 30 days making God bigger by examining His character and His goodness towards us. His love is the attribute that motivates and energizes everything. When we understand and experience that love, it opens us to receive all that He is and has. Because of this, I pray for you the same prayer that Paul prayed for the Ephesians:
“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” – Ephesians 3:16-19 NLT
Blessings!
What do these verses show you about the character of God?
Cool Like Christ 
What an amazing study! Thank you for all your hard work on it!