This
Easter weekend, as we have been focusing on the death, burial, and resurrection
of Jesus, I am overwhelmed again by the incomprehensible love of God. Why the
Creator of the universe loves us so much is a great mystery to me; the fact
that He does, however, is beyond doubt. From the first chapter of Genesis to
the last chapter of Revelation, God reveals His unwavering love for mankind.
Most
Christians can quote with assurance John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. “
We
believe God loves the world, we believe that Jesus died on the cross for our
sins. We accept that God loves us as being a part of the world, but some of us
struggle to believe that He loves us individually and personally. We may think
we are unlovable, because that’s what we have been told by a parent or a
sibling or a spouse. We may think our past is too bad, our failures too many, our
sins too reprehensible.
The
truth is that none of us, let me repeat that, none of us, is deserving of God’s
love. None of us! (See Romans 3:23) If being worthy of God’s love was a criterion
for receiving God’s love, we would all just be out of luck and bound for hell.
If we were worthy or deserving of God’s love and forgiveness, then there would
have been no need for Jesus to leave His place in heaven to incarnate as a man.
There would have been no need for Jesus to take our sins upon Himself and to
die cruelly and unjustly on the cross. None of us are worthy, yet God loves us so
completely and unconditionally He was willing to die for us.
God
loves the world…God loves us…God loves me!
It is when we get this revelation, (God loves me!) that our hearts are full
to overflowing, and we respond with love for the Beloved. It is relationship. It has moved from the abstract and general to
the concrete and uniquely personal. God loves me! And when I know that God loves me, then I can love others.
The more I understand that God loves me,
the more I understand that God loves you;
and the more I understand that God loves you,
the more I love you; for, I see that
as I am cherished by the Beloved, so does He cherish you!
His love
awakens my compassion and creates a desire that each and every one of us will
come to know just how much He loves us, for His love is
transforming. From being a nobody, I am and you are transformed into a
somebody; from being worthless and insignificant, I am and you are transformed
into beings of inestimable worth and significance; from being rejected and
alone, I am and you are totally and unconditionally accepted and adopted into God’s very own family!
How incredibly
wonderful is that! It was this revelation of the magnificence and
all-encompassing love of God that fueled and emboldened the disciples and the
early church to share the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, to all the
world despite persecution and hardship; for, as Peter and John said, “We cannot but speak the things which we
have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)
After
finishing the supper at their last Passover together, Jesus washed the feet of
His disciples, telling them He was giving them an example of how they were to
treat one another. With only hours left before He was to be arrested, Jesus reminded
them of all He had taught them. He reminded them to serve one another, even as
He served them, and He called them to love, saying,
…A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one
another. "By this all men will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34, 35, NIV)
God IS love. Out of love He created us. Out
of love He redeemed us. Out of love, He continues to call us to Himself. God
loves the world. God loves us. God loves me.
God loves you!
The Spirit and the bride say,
“Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come;
and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17, NIV)
Do I believe God loves me personally?
If not, what are the barriers that keep me from experiencing His love for me?
Am I willing to
meditate upon His Word and to seek help in removing those barriers?
I pray you are blessed
by today’s sharing, and I invite your comments and prayer requests. Let’s meet again next Wednesday. I am looking
forward to what the Lord has for us! Be blessed going in and coming out!
Love, Hugs, and
Blessings!
Syandra
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