There was a young man who was talking about the great love he had for his beloved wife. He said, “My wife has hit a jackpot in me. I tell her that I love her three (3) times a day.” This young man was recommending the love he had for his wife; he was trying to make her and all who were listening notice and realize that it was a great, rare and special love he had for her (more love stories later).
To commend means to praise, to compliment, to recommend or suggest to others to notice something or someone.
Dear friend, God wants you to notice His great love for you in eleven (11) different ways.
God Commended His Love ♡
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But GOD COMMENDETH HIS LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. ~ Romans 5:6-10
1. God commended His love♡ toward us when we were helpless and without strength.
Have you ever seen someone helpless or have you been sick 🤮 and helpless before? I have been and it is quite a horrible place to get to. A lovely friend once told me of an episode in her teens when she was battling a life-threatening illness. She remembers looking into the mirror after vomiting and thinking she was so unattractive; in her paraphrased words: “I looked like a monster.” It is only Jesus who is attracted to people who are helpless and not so attractive.
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I WILL HELP thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." ~ Isaiah 41:10
2. God commended His love toward us when we were ungodly.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN SINS, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." ~ Ephesians 2:4-6
"For CHRIST ALSO HATH ONCE SUFFERED FOR SINS, THE JUST FOR THE UNJUST, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit". ~ 1 Peter 3:18
3. God commended His love toward us when we were sinners.
“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world TO SAVE SINNERS; of whom I am chief.” ~ 1 Timothy 1:15
The Man Who Loved the Cripple: A beautiful young lady went to play sports and got terribly injured. As a result of the injury she could not walk or move any part of her body from her neck downwards. All the young men who had wanted to marry her changed their minds (Don't worry, I won't ask you what you would have done). But one day, a Chinese man went up to her and said he wanted to marry her. Everyone was shocked that someone wanted to marry a lady who could not walk or even lift her hand. To everyone’s amazement he actually married her; and the next thing we knew, he had had a baby with her. Eeii... what a shocking love!!
Most of us would choose someone who looks “nice”. As soon as there is something “unpleasant” about somebody, people stop loving the person. In this case, the young man married the young lady even though she did not have the use of her limbs. Indeed, what a great love!
That is the kind of love that Jesus has shown us. He loved us and chose us when we were yet dirty, ugly and sinful. Christ has shown us the extreme love that no one else can demonstrate.~ Bishop Dag Heward-Mills
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4. God commended His love toward us when we were His enemies.
Once YOU WERE ALIENATED FROM GOD AND WERE ENEMIES in your minds because of your evil behaviour. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. ~ Colossians 1:21-22
5. God commended His love toward us when we were far away.
"But now in Christ Jesus YE WHO SOMETIMES WERE FAR OFF are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;" ~ Ephesians 2:13-15
6. God commended His love toward us when we were thieves.
Jesus loved the thief on the cross. "And one of the malefactors (thieves) which were hanged railed on him, saying, if thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, TODAY SHALT THOU BE WITH ME IN PARADISE." ~ Luke 23:39-43
7. God commended His love toward us when we were blasphemers.
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; WHO WAS BEFORE A BLASPHEMER, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." ~ 1 Timothy 1:12-14
8. God commended His love toward us when we were poor.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the GOSPEL TO THE POOR; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised" ~ Luke 4:18
9. God commended His love toward us when we were fornicators, adulterous and lust-driven.
"And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst. They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." ~ John 8:3-11
10. God commends His love by loving us when we had many problems.
We do not like people with problems, but Jesus likes us with our problems. Many African countries previously did not need visas to visit Europe. As poverty mounted in the developing world, poor African countries were asked to obtain visas before going. Similarly, poor South American countries were asked to obtain visas to visit the United States of America.
You will notice rich countries and rich people try to keep out poor people and difficult situations. They try to stay away from people who are heavy-laden. But Jesus wants those who are heavily laden with problems to come to Him.
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Come unto me, all YE THAT LABOUR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. ~ Matthew 11:28-30
11. God commends His love by loving us when we were sick.
One day, a doctor whilst doing ward rounds in the teaching hospital, noticed how the other doctors passed by and avoided the smelly corner that had patients with long-standing ulcers (very smelly sores). He felt sorry for those old men who seemed to be neglected because their conditions were so chronic and so foul-smelling.
Then I thought of Jesus who said we should come to Him with our chronic and foul-smelling problems. People usually do not want to have anything to do with problematic people. Yet Jesus said, “Come to me with all your burdens.”
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED." ~ Isaiah 53:5
Dear friend, how will you respond to this great love God has for you? Wouldn't it be tragic if the great love you have for someone is stomped on, disregarded and thrown to the side? But wouldn't it be amazing if your love was answered or responded to with love also?
Get ready for an amazing love experience if only you will respond to God’s love. You can pray with me:
“Jesus, You died upon the cross and rose again to save the lost. Forgive me now of all my sins. Come be my Savior, my Lord, and my Friend. Change my life and make it new and help me, Lord, to live for You. Today, I choose to respond to your great love; thank you for loving me. Please give me your Spirit, that I may live a life that pleases you, Amen!”
Congratulations!! There is great rejoicing in heaven because of you. You are a new creation and you have your ticket to everlasting life because of this choice!
If you prayed this prayer for the first time, or you just re-dedicated your life to Christ, we would like to know you and help you on this new journey… Just click here and get in touch.
We believe you’ve been blessed by this; Can you share with someone today? Be a blessing too! (Disclaimer: All images are not original by the author and were inserted from Google) Special acknowledgement: Bishop Dag Heward-Mills