If you love God, you will feel compelled to love what He loves.
Love what God Loves… but how?
Have you ever been in love? Or have you ever loved someone’s company so much that you were just happy to do whatever they wanted to do?
That’s what real love does. It stretches our hearts to care about what the other person cares about. And so, maybe you’ve noticed how your mom leaves the newspaper by the coffee maker for your dad, because he likes to read it first thing in the morning.
Or you pick up a unique rock from your path because you know your child will get excited about it. Maybe your roommate puts a funny sign on your door, saying “You shall not pass”, because they know how much you love Lord of the Rings.
We recognize these little examples of love in a spouse, a parent, a dear friend or even a colleague. They are not complicated, they just express something very meaningful: “I know you, and so I know what you love – that’s why I care about it, too.”
How do You Know what God Loves?
If we know how to do these meaningful things for our families and loved ones, shouldn’t we feel just as eager to do this for God? He is our creator, defender, counselor, and provider. He has shown us love like we’ve never known love before – He gave His own Son, just to have a relationship with us.
God gave us His Word – a personal love letter, with stories of those He loved and loves today, so that we could get to know Him. By learning about those He cares about, we get to know His heart.
We read the Bible, so we can grow closer to Jesus and recognize the voice of the Spirit of God. And when we love God, we then take the next step that comes after learning who He is and what He cares about. We love what He loves.
Whom Does God Love?
Let’s start from the beginning. No, I don’t mean the story of creation this time. Instead, let’s find the first instance when the Bible mentions love.
God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” (Gen. 22:2)
Wow, that is quite a dramatic context for the first biblical mention of love. And yet, it tells us so much about it, and especially the love of God.
The story of Abraham and Isaac is a clear foreshadowing of what God did for us. The Son whom He loved was sacrificed on Mount Moriah, the same mountain that Abraham climbed. God’s love did that. But why?
Love is not self-seeking, but it always perseveres. (1 Cor 13:5-7) God loves humankind to no end, that is why He chose Abraham to show His unwavering love. Then He chose Isaac, and then He chose Jacob – all for love.
Through promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God chose the Jewish people to be a beacon of salvation and blessing.
Love Israel like He Loves Israel
You will be my people and I will be your God. I am the LORD your God, and you will know that I made you free from Egypt. (Exodus 6:7)
God chose Israel and loved the people of Israel from the very beginning – and He will until the very end! Should that matter to us, gentile believers – Christians from the nations? I believe the Book of Ruth helps us answer this question.
Ruth was “from the nations”, she was a Moabite, and the Jewish people were – at first – just her neighbors. But she fell in love with a Jewish man and decided to cling to his family. When she was given the option to return to the land she once knew or to follow her mother-in-law into the unknown, she responded:
“Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16)
You may think, Ruth did it for love, she had a reason. But wait a second – aren’t you in love with Jesus? The Jewish Messiah? Don’t you love the God of Israel? Don Finto, a brilliant writer and speaker, once said: “If God’s in a covenant with the Jewish people, so am I.”
Love what God Loves
While we all differ in the ways we show love, there is a common thread. Whether it’s through spending quality time, doing acts of service, or giving gifts, we feel loved when someone shows us that they love what we love.
When we are in love, we are not afraid to change our preferences to reflect that love. We are not changing our identity for the other person – rather, one could say, we are making space for them in our lives. We pay attention and we show consideration to what is important to them.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear… We love because He first loved us.” – 1 John 4:18-19
And so, we pay attention to what moves the heart of God.
Before we choose to love what He loves, we first learn what He loves. Through His Word, we learn about Israel. And when we spend time with God, we start to understand His commitment to Israel. Because here’s the thing about quality time – with time, His perfect love starts to grow on us.
We start to understand how He thinks and what He feels, we start experiencing emotions within ourselves whenever we read about Israel or even just see their name. Israel is no longer just another country – somehow it became deeply ingrained in our relationship with Jesus.
Turn Love into Action
So, you love God and you love what He loves. You love (or are starting to love) Israel. What does this all mean on a practical level?
Allow me to share with you three suggestions for where you could begin.
- Visit Israel.
If you haven’t done so already, I strongly encourage you to put it down on your calendar. Nothing compares to seeing Biblical sites with your own eyes and setting foot in places where Jesus walked.
- Pray for Israel.
Maybe this should have been no. 1, but the truth is, visiting and praying for Israel go very well together. Allow the Holy Spirit to stir your heart and pray with great faith for the peace of Jerusalem and salvation of Israel.
- Support believers in Israel.
It may come as a shock to you, but Israel continues to be one of the least reached nations in the world. It is estimated that born-again believers make up maybe 1% of its population. Thus, the remnant that recognizes Yeshua – Jesus – as their Messiah needs your support to share the good news in the land of the Bible.
We have a list of ministries you can start supporting today, or you can join The Tribe – a community of monthly donors who are committed to supporting Israel every month.
God Wants Us to Reveal His love Back to Israel
“God does not love Jews more than other people, but He has chosen them for a unique purpose.” – Pastor Jack Hayford
The Creator chose Israel and revealed His love to the world through the Jewish people—for you. Jesus, God’s Son, was born to a Jewish mother and shared the Good News with His Jewish friends, so that they would take the Gospel to the nations.
Today, we want to see this Good News return to Israel. It is time for the Jewish people to recognize their Jewish Messiah. And the nations have been invited to reveal God’s love back to Israel.
“You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” (Isaiah 62:7)
Another practical way in which you can love what God loves is by taking a stand against hatred towards what He loves. Sign up for our free biblical mini-series “Uprooting an Ancient Hatred: What You Need to Know About Antisemitism” to learn how you can love what He loves in a deeper way.
Sign up here: https://firmisrael.org/hate/
Uprooting an Ancient Hatred: What You Need to Know about Antisemitism – Free Video + PDF Guide Mini-series
What do you need to know about antisemitism? Find out in this unique 4-part mini-series that our education department developed especially for you.
- What is antisemitism? Why the rise in Jew-hatred today?
- History of antisemitism: Is this a part of Christianity?
- Antisemitism today
- How the Church can fight antisemitism
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