I recently read of a philanthropist who left hundreds of millions of dollars to a small private college of his choice. What a gift! The college is now going to be able to add needed facilities and enlarge their educational programs. Many more students will be able to avail themselves of what has been provided for them through this gracious gift from one man. How do you suppose this good deed affected the people associated with this college? First of all, I would imagine that the administration and staff were awed at the man, the size of his gift and the potential he provided for their college. The students at the college must have likewise been in awe of such provision for their welfare. But suppose down through the years, eventually the new students and perhaps even the new staff, may become totally unaware of the man who provided such opportunity for them. They may just take it for granted that the college has always been there for them as is, that is, unless someone informs them about the generous philanthropist. Then their hearts, too, could be filled with gratitude toward this man.

How are you going to know of God's great gift of love for you unless someone tells you or demonstrates it to you? Perhaps you know that God loves the world, but do you take that for granted, or do you know that you can personally avail yourself of His love? You might think that you don't deserve His love, and you are right. None of us do. It is a gift, freely given and freely received. Like the philanthropist, but oh so much more, God cares about our welfare, our present life and the life to come. God's gift of His Son demonstrated His love for us even while we were still living in sin: But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) When we are awed by the One who provided such a gift of love and the potential it provides for us, we will respond to it. It will then become personal. We will understand that God loves each of us and wants each of us to love Him in return. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Answer:

There are two important ways that we can know God's love for us personally: knowledge and experience. Knowledge comes from the Scriptures and enables us through the Holy Spirit to experience what we know. The connecting link between knowledge and experience is faith. Faith comes as we believe the knowledge of God we have received. It then translates into experience as we respond to it. The students who studied at the college are the ones who benefited from the gift of the philanthropist. The ones who study and know God's Word can understand and experience God's love everyday of their lives, in bad time as well as good times. As we grow in knowing Him, we grow in His love. ...God is love.

Flossie Randels