Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.
The Oxford dictionary defines lavish as “sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious” and “bestowing something in generous or extravagant quantities.” Lavish. Heaped up flowing over the side of the cup abundance of that which makes your heart sing.
Lavish is a gift of that perfectly crafted and fitting leather jacket, that gorgeous piece of jewelry, that long-awaited car or cruise, that meal where your tongue told your stomach to hush about being full, that garden drooping over heavy with harvest, that sunset full of colors you didn’t even know existed.
Lavish. Those kind of gifts don’t just meet a need or desire; they exceed expectations and imaginations. They nourish needs you didn’t even know you had. Lavish gifts bless the giver and the receiver with delight, met dreams, and the desire to keep giving and receiving.
Yet, neither the definition nor the best of descriptions can begin to describe the love God lavishes upon us. We are all wealthy beyond imagination in this love from our Good God. He doesn’t portion out His love like a paycheck or prescription. He doesn’t measure out His long-suffering like a teacher or toll booth operator. He doesn’t demand payment, prayer, or pleading. He gives with His gracious generosity beyond understanding.
He lavishes His unfailing love.
Every verse and vow.
Every moment and mercy.
Every grace and gift.
Every desire and delight.
Every covenant and commitment.
Lavish. The love He gives shines far brighter than any diamond or dream. The love He gives lasts longer than any bank account or best fitting wardrobe. The love He gives satisfies far more than any purchase or prime rib dinner.
He and His love last and linger and bear heavy loads. His love is all that and much more because He Himself is love (see 1 John chapter 4).
Lavish love is without decrease or decay.
Without doubt or denial.
Without defense or dependency.
Because He Himself is love (see 1 John chapter 4).
God’s love isn’t just lavish; it’s lasting, long-suffering, and load-bearing.
Load-bearing.
If you’re like me, that truth needs a little time and thinking to soak into the soil of my soul. With that in mind, let’s take a little look into what God tells us about His load-bearing love in Scripture:
Proverbs 18:10 ICB The name of the Lord is a strong tower; a righteous person rushes to it and is lifted up above the danger.
1 Peter 5:7 AMPC Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.
Matthew 11:28-30 PHILLIPS “Come to me, all of you who are weary and over-burdened, and I will give you rest! Put on my yoke and learn from me. For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Do you have need of lavish love today?
Do you have need of load-bearing love today?
Do you have need of lasting love today?
If so, then look up – God is with you and waiting to lavish His lasting and load-bearing love on you right now wherever you are and no matter where you’ve been.
He loves you like no one else ever can or will.
Written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2024.
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