And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.  (1Jo 4:16 NIV)

As God is truly Trinitarian, so he is also for ever and ever true love – the essential, Trinitarian love. To live out this holy and divine love God did not need the world or anything outside of himself. He is love before and independent of the world. However he created this world out of love and showered his love on his creation without compulsion, yet with great passion, mercy and goodness. Loving this world is an expression of his divine love and caring goodness. His eternal love is mirrored in his creation – even if in a fallen and somewhat depleted way. This divine love shown by the creator to his creation and creatures is a two-fold love. A general and a specific love. The first and general way of loving is for all creatures visible and invisible. The second and specific way of loving is reserved for his one holy Christian Church. Our epistle refers to this second and specific love of God towards his congregation of saved and sanctified saints. God loves these his elected people, whom he has saved in Jesus Christ and whom he has made his children and part of his family through the Holy Spirit. This specific and most concentrated love of God for his Church however does not keep him from loving all and everybody in general either.

Oh triune God, we fall down before you in amazement and deep adoration and worship. You have loved us although you did not need us whatsoever. Yet you loved us from the very beginning and you have chosen, saved and sanctified us by your passionate and sincere love and grace. Let us become a mirror of your deep love so that we may be a witness to this world of your love and in praise of your glorious grace and mercy. Amen.

God loves me dearly Grants me salvation, God loves me dearly, Loves even me.

Refrain: Therefore I’ll say again: God loves me dearly, God loves me dearly, Loves even me. 

I was in slav’ry, Sin, death, and darkness; God’s love was working To make me free. Refrain

He sent forth Jesus, My dear Redeemer, He sent forth Jesus And set me free. Refrain

Jesus, my Saviour, Himself did offer; Jesus, my Saviour, Paid all I owed. Refrain

Now I will praise You, O Love Eternal; Now I will praise You All my life long. Refrain

This is a rather free translation of Wilhelm Löhe’s devotion for Monday after the first Sunday after the high holiday and festival of the Holy Trinity. It is found on Pg. 223 in Lob sei Dir ewig, o Jesu!   (Eternal Praise to you o Jesus!) edited by A. Schuster and published in the Freimund Verlag, Neuendettelsau 1949.