There are a variety of ways that God has shown(and continues to show) His love for us.  The most obvious is mentioned in John 3:16, where we are told that God loves us so much that He gave His Son to be a sacrifice for our sins – more on that later.  For now, let’s look at just a few of the ways He has shown His love for us.  Some of these might seem a little odd, but please bear with me.

Everything

Look at the world around you.  Look up in the sky(preferably at night).  All those stars, planets, etc. were created by Him for us.  They help us to see His infinite power, as well as His design and creativity(Rom. 1:20).  They (should) help us to realize that all of this just didn’t happen. It was purposeful, planned and specific.

The Earth and all of its resources were created for us to use(Gen. 1:27-30).  There are animals(these were not given for food initially), plants and other resources that we can use to provide for our physical needs.  God wants us to not just survive, but to thrive in this world(Gen. 1:28).  That doesn’t mean that this is all there is to life.  On the contrary, the physical blessings we have in our lives are a dim representation of the much greater spiritual blessings we have(more on that later).

Life

Our bodies were created by Him for us; He gave us our very lives.  And we are wonderfully created(Ps. 139:14), as well as being created in His image(Gen. 1:27).  There are things our bodies do without even needing to think about it or remember(e.g. our lungs breathing and our heart beating).  Our bodies also self-heal.  For example, when you break a bone, the doctor just re-sets the bone so it will heal probably.  Your body does the actual healing.

Discipline

This might not sound like something very loving, but it is.  In Gen. 3:23, after Adam and Eve had sinned, God expelled them from the Garden of Eden.  He did that so they would learn an extremely important lesson(and so can we).  Sinning(disobeying God) has consequences(Rom. 3:23).  Probably the most important consequence is that it separates us from God(Rom. 6:23).  This is seen in a physical representation when Adam and Eve and kicked out of the Garden of Eden.  But the deeper understanding is that they separated themselves from God.  And because God is not just the Giver of Life, but He actually is the source of all life, when we separate ourselves from Him, we separate ourselves from life.  Everyone needs to understand this because of the terrible consequences that result from being separated from life.  The only thing remaining is death.  And I’m not talking about the death of a physical body.  I am talking about the separation of a spirit(your spirit) from God.  And if this is not fixed during our time on Earth, that separation becomes permanent.  God doesn’t want that(II Pet. 3:9), so He lets us know what it looks like(physically), and tells us what is looks like spiritually/eternally(Rev. 20:13-15).

Judges

Throughout the book of Judges, the nation of Israel(God’s chosen people at the time) would turn away from God, then God would allow some surrounding nation to conquer Israel.  Israel would then cry out to God, and God would provide someone to save them(i.e. a judge(Jud. 2:16) – not a judge like we have today, but more like a military leader).  The judge would save Israel(typically just a portion of the people) who were being oppressed or enslaved.

Psalms

Throughout the Psalms, different writers speak of the blessings from God.  He is:  the source of our salvation(Ps. 38:22; 65:5; 68:19; 79:9, etc.); the giver of unfailing love(Ps. 6:4; 13:5; 26:3; 31:16 and a whole bunch more);  our protector(Ps. 18:2; 46:1; 62:5-7; 91:4); and our avenger(Ps. 94).  Psalms contains several other different examples of how God blesses the faithful and punishes the wicked.

Sex

This might sound like an odd thing to add, but I think it belongs on the list.  Sexual intercourse between a husband and wife is more than just a way to make more people.  It is that, but it is so much more than just that.  It is a means of strengthening the relationship between the two, and it creates a level of intimacy and connection that cannot be approached in any other way.  It is unique in the human experience.

Spiritual Blessings

Thus far the blessings mentioned have been primarily physical, but God’s spiritual blessings are far more important than any of the physical blessings He provides.

Prayer

We can speak to the Creator of the universe, and He will listen to us.  Just think about that.  It makes no sense that He would listen to us, but He does.

Family – Spiritual

As His people, we have a family of brothers and sisters who are probably better for us than our own physical family members(unless they are also spiritual siblings).  They are there for us.  They understand our needs and desires better than others.  They are not just “fair weather friends,” but they stick with us through the worst of times(Prov. 18:24).

Salvation

The greatest of all blessings is salvation from sin(John 3:16).  God has given us an opportunity to avoid being separated from Him forever.  He didn’t have to do it, but He did.  And He did it because of His immense love for us.

Others

There are so many other ways that God shows His love for us.  The list is probably endless.  Look at your own life.  Think about just some of the things He has done for you(things other than what is in this list).  It will help you to better appreciate Him.  And that will be better for YOU.