There has never been a time when you were unloved by God. I know many, many people do not believe that statement, but it is true. God’s love is perfect, faithful, unconditional, forgiving, all-encompassing, pure, lasting, sacrificial, strong, enduring, refreshing, redeeming, everlasting, lavish, full, inspiring, hope-filled, gracious, and so much more. It’s never based on us, our abilities, or striving to ever be good enough. It’s found in Him, His character, and a huge capacity to give. It knows no boundaries and has no limits. There’s no place too deep that His love can’t reach us still. As the old hymn says: “He can reach way down to pick us up.”
Over the years, He has cared for us, thought about us on a moment-by-moment basis, and never resisted the idea of loving us. He has been willing to laugh with us, cry with us, and listen to us describe every detail of our lives. When the world rejects you, God is your constant Friend who accepts you just as you are. I know many times people see and think of God as an ogre with a heavy hand ready to knock us down but that is not the God of the Bible.
The problem we face is not God loving us, but how we love Him. Do we truly know how to experience the love He has for us? Can we accept the fact that He loves us unconditionally, and that the plans He has for our lives are ones that overflow with goodness and mercy and grace? Think about this: God does not withhold anything in loving us. He gave everything He had to give when He extended His love to us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. His love is a free gift of grace. All that we need to do in order to have this love is to accept it, claim it and cling to it.
So how do you perceive God? Several years ago, a student in seminary class stood to his feet and announced to the professor, "I don't believe in God!" The professor, unraveled, replied, "Describe this God you don't believe in?" After the student had described an unlovely and vengeful God, the professor confessed, "I don't believe in that God either. My God is a God of love."
It is so difficult to describe God’s love. How do you describe a rose to a blind person? How do you describe Handle's Hallelujah Chorus to a deaf person? How do you describe the thrill of down hill skiing to one who has never walked? How do you describe the impeccable, infinite love of God to impure, finite human beings?
One of the most vivid characteristics of God is that He is a God of love. The Psalmist was descriptive in recording the love-nature of God. He stated that he was "abounding in love" (Psalm 103:8 NIV), "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:11 NIV), "As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:13 NIV), "But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’S love is with those who fear Him (Psalm 103:17). (The word fear as used here means to respect, to honor and to worship Him!)
The point is not simply that God "loves," but that He is love itself. Love is not merely one of His attributes, but His very nature. The Scripture says, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. (1 John 4:16 NIV). To say that God is love is not to imply that love is God. God is love means that God wants the very best for you. God has your best interest in mind. He wants to give you good gifts and provide you with "all His benefits" (Psalm 103:2, NIV).
God's love touches every part of our life. Nothing - no calling or circumstance, no adversity or advancement, no pain or promotion, no status or station - escapes the brush strokes of God's love. God's love bleeds into every fabric and fiber of our lives. The number of times the three-lettered word "all" is used in Psalm 103 reminds us that God's love is all consuming. His love touches every area of our lives. There is nowhere we can go to escape His love. There is no problem that we will encounter that is not touched by His love. There is no advancement that we will make where God is not already there. Even when our world falls apart, we can say, "God, I don't know why this is happening. I don't understand it, but I'm sure glad to know you love me."
The Bible cuts through all the philosophical ideas and declares that God is a Person. As a personal being God is capable of loving and being loved. And as a personal being he loves each one of us intensely and personally. God's love is not simply for mankind as a mass. It is not a sentimental, vague, diffused feeling - something like Charlie Brown's attitude when he says, "I love mankind; it's people I can't stand." God really likes individual people.
When Karl Barth, the famed German theologian, visited the United States, a reporter at a dedication service asked: "Dr. Barth, what is the single most important truth you have learned as a theologian?" Barth replied, "The most important thing I have learned is this: 'Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.'"
"Jesus loves me" is the central pronouncement of the Christian faith and the cornerstone of the nature of God. When God says I love you, He is saying that you matter to Him!
You are a person of worth.
You are valuable to Him.
Regardless of what others think, in His eyes you are wonderful.
Have a Great Day and Remember...God Has Always Loved You!
Over the years, He has cared for us, thought about us on a moment-by-moment basis, and never resisted the idea of loving us. He has been willing to laugh with us, cry with us, and listen to us describe every detail of our lives. When the world rejects you, God is your constant Friend who accepts you just as you are. I know many times people see and think of God as an ogre with a heavy hand ready to knock us down but that is not the God of the Bible.
The problem we face is not God loving us, but how we love Him. Do we truly know how to experience the love He has for us? Can we accept the fact that He loves us unconditionally, and that the plans He has for our lives are ones that overflow with goodness and mercy and grace? Think about this: God does not withhold anything in loving us. He gave everything He had to give when He extended His love to us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. His love is a free gift of grace. All that we need to do in order to have this love is to accept it, claim it and cling to it.
So how do you perceive God? Several years ago, a student in seminary class stood to his feet and announced to the professor, "I don't believe in God!" The professor, unraveled, replied, "Describe this God you don't believe in?" After the student had described an unlovely and vengeful God, the professor confessed, "I don't believe in that God either. My God is a God of love."
It is so difficult to describe God’s love. How do you describe a rose to a blind person? How do you describe Handle's Hallelujah Chorus to a deaf person? How do you describe the thrill of down hill skiing to one who has never walked? How do you describe the impeccable, infinite love of God to impure, finite human beings?
One of the most vivid characteristics of God is that He is a God of love. The Psalmist was descriptive in recording the love-nature of God. He stated that he was "abounding in love" (Psalm 103:8 NIV), "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:11 NIV), "As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him" (Psalm 103:13 NIV), "But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’S love is with those who fear Him (Psalm 103:17). (The word fear as used here means to respect, to honor and to worship Him!)
The point is not simply that God "loves," but that He is love itself. Love is not merely one of His attributes, but His very nature. The Scripture says, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. (1 John 4:16 NIV). To say that God is love is not to imply that love is God. God is love means that God wants the very best for you. God has your best interest in mind. He wants to give you good gifts and provide you with "all His benefits" (Psalm 103:2, NIV).
God's love touches every part of our life. Nothing - no calling or circumstance, no adversity or advancement, no pain or promotion, no status or station - escapes the brush strokes of God's love. God's love bleeds into every fabric and fiber of our lives. The number of times the three-lettered word "all" is used in Psalm 103 reminds us that God's love is all consuming. His love touches every area of our lives. There is nowhere we can go to escape His love. There is no problem that we will encounter that is not touched by His love. There is no advancement that we will make where God is not already there. Even when our world falls apart, we can say, "God, I don't know why this is happening. I don't understand it, but I'm sure glad to know you love me."
The Bible cuts through all the philosophical ideas and declares that God is a Person. As a personal being God is capable of loving and being loved. And as a personal being he loves each one of us intensely and personally. God's love is not simply for mankind as a mass. It is not a sentimental, vague, diffused feeling - something like Charlie Brown's attitude when he says, "I love mankind; it's people I can't stand." God really likes individual people.
When Karl Barth, the famed German theologian, visited the United States, a reporter at a dedication service asked: "Dr. Barth, what is the single most important truth you have learned as a theologian?" Barth replied, "The most important thing I have learned is this: 'Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.'"
"Jesus loves me" is the central pronouncement of the Christian faith and the cornerstone of the nature of God. When God says I love you, He is saying that you matter to Him!
You are a person of worth.
You are valuable to Him.
Regardless of what others think, in His eyes you are wonderful.
Have a Great Day and Remember...God Has Always Loved You!
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