WHAT CAN I DO TO BE LOVED BY GOD

In any family, children often have different levels of closeness and trust with their parents. Some may be especially trusted, others more loved or relied upon but they are all still part of the family. The same dynamic is true in the family of God.

As believers, we are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26). Yet Scripture and history show that not all believers walk in the same level of intimacy, favor, or trust with God. The Bible shows us that it is indeed possible to be especially loved by God not in terms of salvation, which is by grace alone, but in terms of fellowship, obedience, and divine trust.

This is not about earning God’s love, but about cultivating a relationship with Him that draws His delight and favor. Let us look at three key traits seen in people throughout the Bible who were deeply loved by God: love, steadfast devotion, and wisdom.

1. LOVE  The Mark of True Intimacy with God

The apostle John is often referred to as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” This unique expression doesn’t imply that Jesus didn’t love the others, but rather highlights a unique intimacy between Jesus and John. John was not only close to Jesus physically leaning on His chest at the Last Supper (John 13:23) but he also reflected Christ’s heart more deeply than any other disciple.

John 21:20 (ESV):

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?”

John understood and practiced agape love selfless, sacrificial love the kind that reflects God’s own character. In fact, his gospel and letters are filled with teachings about love, because God is love (1 John 4:8).

The Apostle Paul further describes the nature of love in 1 Corinthians 13. These traits are not just virtues they are divine attributes God desires in His children.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (ESV):

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

Walking in this kind of love reflects the very heart of God. When we love others deeply, we enter into deeper fellowship with Him (John 14:21). God delights in those who carry His love and character to others.

2. STEADFAST DEVOTION  A Heart Fully Committed to God

The prophet Daniel was described repeatedly as someone “greatly loved” or “highly esteemed” by God. This wasn’t due to his position or intelligence, but his unwavering commitment to holiness and prayer even in the face of death.

Daniel 10:11 (ESV):

And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.”

Daniel’s decision in chapter 1 to refuse the king’s defiled food (Daniel 1:8), and his persistence in prayer even when threatened with the lions’ den (Daniel 6:10), show a man who feared God more than man. His heart was fully set on pleasing God above all.

2 Chronicles 16:9 (ESV):

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.

Today, believers face different challenges: compromise in the workplace, peer pressure, or even moral temptation. But like Daniel, those who stand firm in their convictions especially when it costs them something show that their hearts are loyal to God. Such people receive not only God’s love but His favor and trust.

3. WISDOM  Seeking to Serve God’s People with Understanding

Solomon is another man the Bible says was “loved by his God.”

Nehemiah 13:26 (ESV):

Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin.

Solomon’s love for God was especially evident in the beginning of his reign when he asked, not for riches or long life, but for wisdom to lead God’s people well.

1 Kings 3:9–10 (ESV):

“Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil…” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.

Because of this unselfish desire, God gave Solomon both wisdom and blessings beyond what he asked for (1 Kings 3:13). Wisdom is closely linked with God’s love because it reflects a heart that wants to align with God’s will and bless others.

Today, we access divine wisdom through God’s Word.

Proverbs 2:10 (ESV):

For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

When you diligently study Scripture not just reading casually, but meditating and applying it you begin to carry God’s mind and heart. And when God sees that you desire His truth to serve and uplift others, He draws near to you in love.

Becoming a Person God Delights In

If we desire to walk in deeper intimacy and favor with God, we must pursue these three traits:

• Love: Embracing God’s selfless, patient, forgiving love.
• Steadfastness: Remaining loyal to God in the face of pressure and cost.
• Wisdom: Seeking understanding to serve and bless others.

These are not ways to earn God’s love because He already loves us unconditionally through Christ but they are ways to grow in closeness and divine favor, just as Jesus did:

Luke 2:52 (ESV):

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

As we walk in these qualities, God will entrust us with more revelation, influence, and provision. Daniel and John were granted visions of the future. Solomon received unmatched wealth and peace. Their lives show what God can do through someone who walks in love, loyalty, and wisdom.

May you be counted among those whom God loves deeply not just as His child, but as His friend and vessel of honor (2 Timothy 2:21).

May the Lord bless you and draw you ever deeper into His love and favor.

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