Have any of you ever felt unsure of, or even completely doubted God’s love for you? In my early years as a Christian I experienced this but it had nothing to with God’s love. It was due to a lack of commitment, determination and spiritual maturity on my part which resulted in repeated instances of committing sin (not obeying God’s commandments), both intentionally and unintentionally. Well saith the scripture, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3: 23) And because of the “sin and shortness” referred to in this scripture, I would justifiably feel wracked with guilt and shame having lost the glorious contentment found in obedience to God as described in Nehemiah 8: 10, “… for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
In my carnal mind I could not fathom how God could possibly love me or have anything to do with me, for surely I had proven myself unworthy of His love because of the mistakes I had made. It took me years to realize I was continually losing this spiritual battle, listening to Satan lying to me, as he so skillfully does. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44) And I would fall for it every single time. As stated in Galatians 3: 1, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth…”
No good ever comes from abandoning our faith and walk with the Lord where we seem to find ourselves wandering aimlessly through the vast wasteland of sin. But our wandering isn’t aimless, for this deadly path leads straight to the gates of hell. “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6: 23) The debilitating stress of my soul was not accidental. "As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come." (Proverbs 26: 2) Just and deserved compensation. Sounds awful, doesn’t it? Well, it’s worse than awful because this isn’t where we are supposed to be. “…Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25: 41)
But thankfully it is God’s goodness that leads us to repentance. He is always trying to draw us back to Him with a love and mercy that is so powerful, yet so tender. And it is God Himself Who gives us the desire to love Him which He placed in us from our creation. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2: 13) “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1: 19-20)
Because I was blind I did not recognize that the solution to my perilous predicament was what saved me in the first place and was right in front of me. And the answer's name was Jesus. I should have just immediately repented and then sinned no more. But praise God that He doesn’t just throw us away when we fall short, but has provided a way for us to be reinstated when we foolishly break fellowship with Him. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2: 1-2)
This is an extraordinarily merciful act that we don’t deserve, therefore when we transgress, our condemned heart must humbly and sincerely confess our sin, asking for forgiveness. And it is best to do it quickly. “I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” (Psalm 32: 5) “For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee.” (Psalm 86: 5) “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (Psalm 32: 1)
It is inconceivable how God so graciously gives us chance after chance after chance. I know that He did it for me over and over, again and again. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” (1 John 3: 1) He even helped me with the inconsistent service I was trying to render unto Him by strengthening me in my desire and ability to trust and obey. "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15: 57-58) I am blessed and I have to confess that I am more than just called ………… I am chosen. “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22: 14) It is amazing how our Father keeps pursuing us, even when we feel so vile and worthless. But He continues to encourage and assure us of His excellent and eternal love for us. “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” (Luke 15: 4)
For those who have children or the responsibility for the care and welfare of others, it brings us great joy when we think about our children and how much we love them. We try to provide for them by giving them everything they need, as well as things that make them happy because we love them so much. And we can be fiercely protective of them. But as much as we think we love our children, do you know that our Lord loves us so much more than that? “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Luke 11: 11-13)
I absolutely love this. We really think we are doing something for our children, and I’m sure God is very pleased when our efforts are sincere. After all, it is our duty to care for and love them. “…bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6: 4) “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22: 6) “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” (1 Timothy 5: 8)
Now think about how much more our Father takes care of and loves us. A wonderful scripture demonstrating not only His love but His concern for us is found in Psalm 139: 17-18, “How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with Thee.”
Isn’t that absolutely mind-blowing? Someone loving you so much that they think of you in that way. It excites me every time I read it. What a shame it is to ever lose faith in a love like that, because it has proven to be, time after time, an unfailing and faithful love. “It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3: 22-23)
Finally we reach the most important and profound example of God’s love for us … Him giving His only Son to suffer and die on our behalf. The other things I talked about were meaningful, but this one here just breaks me down. I can hardly bear the thought of God sending Jesus, in all His glory and perfection, to endure all of that unimaginable pain for a sinful people who don’t even deserve it. Wretched, depraved people like me! But that is what makes it the most beautiful act of love in all of history. Romans 5: 6-8 says, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
There really isn’t much more to say after that. I recently heard a retelling of Christ’s crucifixion during church service. The Pastor described it in such a vivid way, it was like you were there at the scene. After hearing about the disturbing agony and torment Jesus suffered for us, which is very hard to listen to, I am convinced that we should never doubt God’s love for us. How dare we even think about doubting God’s love after what Jesus went through for us. "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3: 16)
God’s love is the greatest love of all time because God is love. So, needless to say, we should not struggle with believing that God loves us. He’s been too good to us and has done too many wonderful things in our lives for us to deny His love. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8: 31-32) When you really get a grasp of the wonderful love God has for you, you can't help yourself and you naturally commence to praising. “Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107: 31) And the Lord is so incredible that He has made His love impossible to ignore. “He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.” (Psalm 111: 4)
The wonderful love of God is summed up in the lyrics to the song “More Than Wonderful” which state, “Oh I marvel just to know He really loves me when I think of who He is and who I am.”
Truly heartfelt words of praise from us all to a wonderful God Who loves us all.
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