4.6 Summary
The Depth of Divine Love
Lesson 4 shows us how deep God’s love and care for people are. Through various biblical passages, God’s compassion and mercy become evident, especially in His affection for those who are often in distress. In Psalm 103:13, Isaiah 49:15, and Jeremiah 31:20, God’s compassion is compared to a mother’s love for her child—a love that never fails, even when people turn away from God. These comparisons illustrate that God’s compassion goes far beyond human understanding and is a love that is unwavering and unconditional.
Jesus is described as the perfect example of God’s compassion. In the Gospels, we see how Jesus felt pity for people and was not only moved by their needs but also acted to heal and comfort them. This compassion, paired with God’s passion, shows us the importance of reflecting these qualities in our own lives.
The lesson challenges us to not only receive God’s love but also actively show compassion to others. This requires the “death of the self” by overcoming our selfishness and committing ourselves to the well-being of others. Only through the Holy Spirit can we bring this love to life in our lives. To grow in this love, we must dedicate ourselves to God, deny ourselves, and place the needs of others above our own. In doing so, we become living witnesses of God’s compassionate and merciful love.
The connection between our daily lives and faith regarding God’s deep love and mercy is found in the practical application of biblical teachings. God’s compassion and mercy are not just abstract concepts but are meant to be actively experienced and made visible in our relationships with others. This divine love, described to us in Psalm 103:13, Isaiah 49:15, and Jeremiah 31:20, calls us to practice the same unconditional and unwavering love in our daily lives—especially in moments when people are in need or turn away from us.
In everyday life, this means taking Jesus as our model and showing compassion to those in need through actions such as small acts of kindness, listening, helping in difficult times, or showing understanding toward those who have wronged us. Jesus’ compassion, repeatedly emphasized in the Gospels, is not only an example for us but also a call to actively live out this compassion. We are to not only respond to others’ needs but also take concrete actions to heal, comfort, and support them.
The lesson calls for a profound change within us—the “death of the self.” In a world often marked by self-centeredness and selfishness, it is an act of dedication to set aside our own will for the sake of others’ needs. Only through the Holy Spirit can we live this selfless love and allow God to transform us, enabling us to grow more into the same love He shows us.
In our faith life, this change means placing our lives and decisions under God’s guidance, prioritizing the desire to love and serve others, and actively working on our relationship with God and our fellow human beings. Thus, God’s love becomes alive in our daily lives, and we become instruments of His mercy and care for the world.
