What should move God to love us?

(Thomas Brooks, "The Transcendent Excellency of a Believer's Portion above All Earthly Portions")

The free favor and love of God, the good will and pleasure of God--is the true ground and cause of God's bestowing of Himself as a portion upon His people. There was no cause, nor loveliness, nor desirableness in them--which could move God to bestow Himself upon them.

God, for the glory of His own free grace and love, has bestowed Himself as a portion upon those who have deserved to have their portion among devils and damned spirits--in those torments which are endless, ceaseless, and remediless.

But what should move God to love us, who were so unworthy, so filthy, so empty, so beggarly? The question may be resolved in these words--He loves us because He loves us. The root of all divine love to us, lies only in the bosom of God.

"The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore I will hope in Him." Lamentations 3:24

Prov 3:33, "The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked." Mal 2:2, "If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name," says the Lord Almighty, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me." There is a real curse and a secret curse, an invisible curse and an insensible curse, that lies upon all their souls, who have not God for their portion. Gal 3:10, "Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." And as there is a curse upon all their souls, so there is a curse upon all their comforts, contentments, and enjoyments, who do not enjoy God for their portion. Until a man comes to enjoy God for his portion, all his earthly portions are cursed unto him; but when a man comes to enjoy God for his portion, then all his earthly portions are blessed unto him.

O sirs! there is no mitigating of the curse, there is no reversing of the curse, there is no altering of the curse, nor there is no taking of the curse from off your souls, nor from off your earthly portions—but by gaining God to be your portion. O sirs! you will live accursed, and you will die accursed, and you will appear before God accursed, and you will be judged and sentenced by God accursed, and you will be sent to hell accursed, and you will remain to all eternity accursed—if God is not your portion! Therefore oh how should this consideration awaken every sinner to give God no rest until he has given himself as a portion to him.

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Oh Lord! That you may be all my portion, and all my strength, and all my hope! May I rest in You and You alone!

Solus Christus
- Brother Hank