What Does God Love?

What Does God Love?

What does God love and take delight in? What brings joy to his heart? The scriptures reveal several things that God specifically loves and takes delight in. Each of these things is a reflection of his character, who he is. God takes delight in himself. He loves who he is because he is the perfection of everything good. Tonight I want to look at specific things that he loves and delights in so that we can put them into practice in our lives. As in any relationship you want to do the things that please the other person. God has specific things mentioned in the scripture that bring him pleasure.

God loves to be loved.

Pro_8:17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

This chapter in Proverbs is talking about wisdom but it is specifically making reference to God who created the heavens and the earth by his wisdom.

God loves those who love him. He wants love to be reciprocal, he wants our love, our affection. Just as we are the object of his love, he wants to be the object of our love. He wants us to seek after him. No one in a relationship with the opposite sex does not want to be sought out. When we truly love someone there is a longing for them and we intentionally and diligently seek them. Our love for God is measured in the actions that come from that love. To be loved is one of man’s greatest needs and this desire to be loved comes from God himself. It is not that God needs our love because he has perfect love within the Trinity yet because we are created in his image and likeness we have the capacity to love him. If we choose to love him it will be demonstrated by our actions. The love that most people know is not the same love that God has for us. Fallen man loves with a selfish love which in the Greek is Eros. Eros love is a sensual love, a love that seeks its own satisfaction. This is the love of fallen mankind and it is only when we come to know Christ and receive him as our Lord and Savior that we can begin to experience and live out the love of God, the agape love.

Bob Mumford in his book, “The Agape Road” has compared the differences between Eros and Agape love.

“The essential meaning of Eros is the desire or intention to possess, acquire, or control. Eros does not seek to be accepted by its object but to gain possession of it. Eros has an appetite or yearning desire that is aroused by attractive qualities of its object. Eros, in Greek philosophy, came to mean that which is loved for the purpose of personal satisfaction. It is from this posture that the word Eros took on its sexual and ultimately pornographic connotation. The word is not primarily sexual, but has more to do with living for my own personal advantage…It can be recognized because it is self-referential… self-centered, but it becomes self-consuming, turning increasingly inward upon itself in a tighter and tighter spiral…The Greek symbol for Eros is actually a serpent consuming its own tail.” When Eros love is operating in our lives even as believers we live to get things from God and do what we know we should do in order to receive his blessings. We are not motivated by true love but selfish love.

“The word agape has to do with the nature of God. 1 John 4:8 says, “God is [agape]”. He is the source of love and when we are united with him in Christ we are able to give this love to him and to others. We can also love ourselves because we possess the love that God has for himself.

“Love, biblically understood is a longing and intention toward another person, object, or experience. God’s agape creates a longing and intention toward Himself-He is the One who retains the initiative.”

Agape love is described most clearly in 1 Corinthians 13.

1Co 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

1Co 13:5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

1Co 13:6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

1Co 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1Co 13:8 Love never ends.

Have you ever evaluated your love for God based on these verses? We often use these verses to test our love for another person but have we thought about loving God this way?

• Are we patient with God or do we demand that he act now to do something about our situation?
• Do we take credit for things that we do instead of give the glory and honor to God who has enabled us to do it?
• Do we think we can do quite well on our own and really don’t need God’s help and don’t seek his advice?
• Do we demand God do things our way instead of asking Him what He wants us to do?
• Do we get mad at God when things seem to go against us and we feel that God has let us down?
• Do we love truth and have God’s hatred for evil?
• Do we carry our burdens with gratefulness or spitefulness?
• Do we speak in faith, believing in the goodness of God and his faithfulness to fulfill his promises to provide for our needs?
• Do we express hope in every situation or do we doubt that God is really at work?
• Do we stay strong in our love for God during the hard times or do we retreat or give up?

God desires that we love him in the same way that he loves us. The more we allow Christ to dwell in us and live his life through us the more capacity we will have to truly love God in the way he wants us to love him. Our love for God should always be growing and always be a source of joy and delight to God.

God is unified in his character. He is not more one thing than he is another. He is just as much a God of love as he is a God of wrath. We have to view God is his entirety and not just focus on the character traits that appeal to us the most because that will give us a distorted view of God. One of the traits about God that he loves is his justice.

God loves justice.

Isa_61:8 For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

God’s justice is based on his righteousness and his moral law. He is the standard of what is right and we have his Word which explains his righteousness and the moral laws he has given to us that reflect his character. As you study the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy you become acquainted with God’s standards that cover many areas of conduct. God’s justice is revealed through the laws he established for Israel that would set the nation apart from the other nations. Since we are created in his image and likeness we have within us a desire for justice. If our conscience has not been defiled completely, we cringe when we hear of injustices that are happening. Justice is served when the guilty are convicted and given the proper punishment for the crime. When the guilty go free or when the guilty do not receive a just punishment, we have a righteous indignation that rises within us. The moral code God has placed within us demands that justice be given for the victim and the offender. Statistics in Guatemala indicate that 98% of crimes go unpunished so there is little incentive for the criminals to not commit the crimes when they know they will get away with it. Because of this people take justice into their own hands.

God hates all evil and can never be accused of doing anything wrong.

Job 34:10 "Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.

Hab 1:13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?

All sin no matter how small it may seem is an abomination to God because it is completely opposite of his character. He does not close his eyes toward evil and injustice. He will take revenge one day and he will repay those who have committed acts of injustice and not repented.

He loves honesty.

Pro_11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.

Abomination 8441 something that is vile, shameful, detested.

God established a standard weight, “the shekel of the tabernacle” that was used to measure the weight of the items that the people were required to give. The people knew exactly what was expected of them and when they fulfilled it they brought joy to God’s heart. When they cheated and did not give what was expected of them they were considered robbers, robbing God of what was rightfully his. The book of Malachi exposed the greed of the people who gave God less than the best he demanded.

They brought animals that were blind, lame and sick to be offered as sacrifices. Mal 1:7,8

They brought was taken by violence not of their own free will. Mal 1.13

They made vows to bring the best offering but instead brought offerings that were blemished. Mal 1.14

They robbed him of the tithes not giving the full tithe which was used to support the Levites and the sacrifices offered to God. Mal. 3.8

In doing these things they made a mockery of God and did not honor Him for who he is and their offerings were rejected and cursed.

God delights when people are honest, don’t cheat in business transactions, and give what God demands and deserves.

In his justice he will render judgments on those who have violated his laws.

Mal 3:5 "Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

Mal 3:6 "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

Pro_12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

We bring delight to God when we speak the truth and live out the truth in our lives.

In the story “Les Miserables” Jean Valijean was sentenced to prison for stealing bread. He escaped and established a new identity after he was given a second chance by a priest who had mercy on him and did not have him arrested for stealing from him. Jean was later confronted with a situation in which he was told that a man named Jean Valijean had been captured and was going to be tried as a criminal who escaped prison. He knew that this man was not the man they thought he was. He was faced with the decision of letting this man take his punishment or revealing his true identity so the man would not be unjustly accused and sent to prison. He went to the place of the trial and when it appeared that the court would convict the man, he came forward and revealed that he was the man they were looking for.

Video clip http://youtu.be/A25-dJt7O-0

Psa_51:6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

This Psalm was David’s confession of his guilt and cover up for his sins after he was confronted by Nathan the prophet. Life for David was not easy after he tried to hide his sin, he was miserable until he came to admit his sin. He realized that God delighted in truth and that the lie he was living needed to be confessed and forgiven. God wants us to come clean from any secret sin. When we admit the truth, he takes delight because we will be set free through our confession and his forgiveness. We need to be brutally honest and truthful with God and not hide anything from Him. Our secret sins will destroy our lives.

God takes pleasure in those who fear him.

Psa 147:11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

To fear the Lord is to reverence him for who he is. It is to be in awe of Him not to be afraid of him.

Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous.

When we have the fear of God we also have a hatred for evil.

Pro_8:13 The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Pro_16:6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.

A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing. As children, the fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in such a way that pleases Him.

Deu_28:63 And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you

This verse may be hard for many to accept but we must always remember that God is unified. If he was not just, he could not punish sin or evil. If he were not loving, he would not love justice and thereby hate evil. God would only delight in bringing ruin if he loved justice. His justice is both punitive judgment and restorative justice. He punishes with the hope that it will bring restoration to a broken relationship.

God takes delight in prospering us

Deu_30:9 The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers,

God will prosper the work that we do. It is not that God will just dump blessing on you but rather that he blesses the work of our hands. When we take responsibility and do our best, God prospers our lives. He wants the earth to be filled with the knowledge of his glory so he blesses the womb and the possessions that we have to be able to provide for us so we can mulitiply. We are the people who have the knowledge of his glory and in blessing us and sending us out into the world we spread his glory to the nations.

God desires to bless us in order that we will be a blessing to the nations. God takes delight in prospering us because it enable us to fulfill his purposes as we use the blessings God has given us to advance his Kingdom on earth.

Psa_16:3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

We bring joy and delight to the Lord. We are the apple of his eye, the focus of his attention and the desire of his heart. He loves us and longs for us. He wants to be united to us and to shower his love upon us. He has adopted us into his family and called us his sons and daughters.

1Jn 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

God absolutely loves his children, we are his delight and he delights in our well being, in prospering us.

I pray tonight that each one of us will live in a way that will delight God. We so often live for ourselves and think about what we want or need God to do for us. But if we live our lives in a way that delights God he will take care of all of our needs because of his great love for each one of us. When we love the things God loves we bring delight to him because we are living with the values that reflect his true character.