2 corinthians 4

God's purpose in loving us is to glorify himself. Pastor John's leaving message. Not that i don't believe it, or understand it...but it definitely was perplexing. and moving. leave it to our Lord to clear it up for me.

Today i read 2Corinthians chapter 4. Paul is speaking to the corinthians about or life as lights of christ and throughout the chapter, after being struck and struck again by the words i was reading i came to this conclusion. the reason we shouldn't feel offended by God loving us for his glory, is as easy as, God doesn't need to love us. right out of the gates paul says this
1 "therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God" even our ministry as a church and as christians isn't something we are entitled to. this is Christ's love for His glory.
5 "for what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake" here paul is saying that we aren't 'proclaiming ourselves' it's not that i'm good enough to deserve Christ's love, it's not that i have the knowledge to save others. It's that Jesus in his love and grace, showed us undeserving love, and he gave us eternal life and tells us to spread this Love. in loving us He is glorified.
8-10 "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies." if God did not love us for his glory, then there would be no mercy. which means all of the previously mentioned hardships and Christ helps us endure, would become very real to us. But he does love us, and through that we prevail and spread this love we've received, glorifying Him in the process.
though the entire chapter is packed of evidence, the last verse, to me, sums up the entirety of the message. that is
15 "For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God."

the grace we receive and the love we receive is 100% undeserved and meant to be a joy to us. and through that undeserved grace and mercy, we proclaim God's name gratefully and with a blameless heart, and that, is glorifying to Him