Relying on God’s love
‘If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.’ — 1 John 4:15–16 (NIV)
“Nothing binds me to my Lord like a strong belief in His changeless love.” — Charles Spurgeon
Recently, there’s a little phrase that has been jumping out at me as I’ve been reading my Bible:
‘But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.’ — Psalm 33:18
‘And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.’ — 1 John 4:16 (NIV)
What does it mean to ‘rely on’ God’s love?
I think we find the answer in John 15, as Jesus teaches His disciples in the upper room just before His death.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing... I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.” — John 15:5, 9
Earlier in the story, Jesus has promised that He has come to bring us life in all its fullness (John 10:10)—and here, He tells us how we get to live this full life by using the metaphor of a vine and its branches.
A branch can’t generate its own life. It can’t produce its own fruit. It can’t be independent at all, otherwise it’ll die. A branch relies completely on the vine to fill, grow and sustain it with life.
So it is with us and Jesus.
He made us to be one with Him. He made us for Himself—to depend on Him, and to find in Him everything we need and desire. In perfect love, He made us; and in perfect love, He fills those united to Him by faith so that they come fully alive: knowing Him personally, experiencing Him deeply, living like Him powerfully in this world.
His love is our souls’ life. But we must choose to remain in it.
When we choose to go it alone in life—relying on ourselves instead of Jesus’ love—we wilt and waste away, like a branch severed from the vine it belongs to. We deprive ourselves of the very purpose we were made for: to be one with Jesus.
I know the feeling of trying to live independently of Jesus and His love. It’s that soul-level dryness that displays itself in the un-Christlike ways I live: prioritising my comfort over others’ needs, losing my patience at trivial things, fraying with anxiety, lacking love for God and for people.
In other words, it feels like death on the inside. It really is a miserable place to be.
But when we choose to surrender to Him every day—relying on His love instead of ourselves—we flourish with all the fruits of His Spirit living within us.
Jesus’ love is the only thing we can truly rely on in this world, because unlike everything else, His love is unfailing because He is unfailing. He Himself is the love He shows us—and because He never changes, His love for us will never change.
That’s why Paul exclaims that despite every kind of tragic and terrible thing that could happen to us, ‘overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us’ (Romans 8:37), because we can never be separated from Him and His love living in us.
How awesome is that!
So, whatever you’re going through right now, rely on nothing less than Jesus Himself.
He loves you, forever.
He is with you, forever.
He is yours, forever.
Today, may we know ‘… how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love’ (Romans 5:5).
Love,
Theo
