God first loves us.

 God First Loved Us

God first loved us—before the world began,

Before the stars sang out their hymn, before the dawn of man.

Before we drew our first frail breath, before we learned to stray,

His heart had already chosen us, His love had marked the way.

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

God first loved us—not because we loved Him back,

Not because our hearts were pure or our intentions on the right track.

He loved us while we were still rebels, still running, still in sin,

While every door we opened led further from Him and further in.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

God first loved us—He made the first move,

When every step we took was determined to disprove

That anyone could want us, could see us and still stay,

He crossed the distance, made us His, and would not walk away.

It was not our seeking that caught His holy eye.

It was not our worthiness that made the Savior die.

It was love—pure, unforced, uncaused by anything in me,

That set in motion eternity's great decree.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

God first loved us—so my love is just a response,

A faint echo of the love that pursued me once.

Every prayer I pray, every song I sing,

Is but a returning of the love He was first to bring.

So when I doubt my standing, when I question if I'm known,

I go back to the beginning, to the truth that stands alone:

Before I ever knew His name, before I drew a breath,

God first loved me—and that love is stronger than death.

This is my foundation.

This is my song.

He first loved me.

All my life long.

Amen.