Ray Ortlund, On the Connection Between Romans 8:28 and Loving God

From the human perspective, the people who own Romans 8:28 love God. They do not just believe the Bible, important as that is. They do not just go to church, important as that is. They love God. They embrace his purpose. There are no longer happy in sin. They want what pleases God. They gladly suffer the loss of all things, in order to gain Christ. People who love God – they are the ones to whom the assurance of Romans 8:28 belongs. And this is right, because the mentality of love is all-inclusive. Love entails trust and hope and all the other virtues of the heart that bind us to God. And love for God is most convincing when offered to him in the furnace of affliction. Love does not resent God. It does not rage against God. Love bows in worship and accepts the will of God without expectation of good. (Ray Ortlund, Supernatural Living for Supernatural People)