In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9
We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19
JO 4:9{JO 4:19{First, He loves us. Then the discovery of this leads us to love Him. Then, because He loves us, He claims us, and desires to have us wholly yielded to His will, so that the operations of love in and for us may find no hindrance. Then, because we love Him we recognize His claim and yield ourselves. Then, being thus yielded, He draws us nearer to Him and admits us, so to speak, into closer intimacy, so that we gain nearer and truer views of His perfections. Then the unity of these perfections becomes clearer to us. Now we not only see His justice and mercy flowing in an undivided stream from the cross of Christ, but we see that they never were divided, though the strange distortions of the dark, false glass of sin made them appear so, but that both are but emanations of God's holy love. Then having known and believed this holy love, we see further that His will is not a separate thing, but only love (and therefore all His attributes) in action; love being the primary essence of His being, and all the other attributes manifestations and combinations of that ineffable essence, for God is Love.
He hath loved thee, and He knows
All thy fears and all thy foes;
Victor thou shalt surely be
Ever through His love to thee.
Rest in quiet joy on this
Greater love hath none than His:
And may this thy life-song be,
Love to Him that loveth thee!