July 17, God is Love

God is love.

I John 4:8

God loves you very much. He desires that you understand His role as Your Heavenly Father. He adores you, and desires nothing but His very best for you.  He did not withhold the most precious gift, His Son, but willingly gave Him up for you.  

You may respond, “I know this.”  Yet, the call continues to ring out from the Scriptures, “God loves you.”  He truly does. There are no human metrics or human points of reference to adequately measure His great love for you.  So, today, remember that God loves you. And, to prove this, He sent Jesus to die on the cross for your sins, so that you could become a son or daughter of God.  

Behold how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us that 

we should be called the children of God (I John 3:1).

Considering the pandemic (2020) that has utterly altered every common and expected routine of life, we often find ourselves at moments of rediscovery.  Because of restrictions:

How will I shop for groceries? Make doctor appointments?  Attend to the needs of my elderly family members? Work? Go to school? Go to church? Go to the gym? Go out to eat? Visit the beach? Stop for coffee? Book a flight? Plan a wedding? On and on are the examples of rediscovery.  

These days have forced us to rediscover how we will attend to those parts of our lives that had up to this point been common and expected routines. 

So in the spirit of rediscovery, how can you respond differently to the simple message of God’s love?  How can you intensify “living loved” now more than when all things were normal?  

This question is offered because our world is literally and practically a different place than once experienced just a year ago.  So many questions and uncertainties have disassembled our sense of normalcy and wellbeing.  And, many of the “constants” are simply no longer there.  But God doesn’t change, and His love remains the same.  So, let’s begin here.  

Let’s rediscover how to spend more meaningful time with God in prayer and in His word so that our awareness of His unchanging love grows and flourishes more and more.  Let’s rediscover how to nurture our children with the same disciplines of prayer and the Word of God. Let’s rediscover how to express God’s love meaningfully to those in our immediate proximity.  Let’s rediscover!

Yes, much has changed, and will continue to do so.  But there is a constant and clear message that does not change nor disappoint.  God loves you.  And through faith in Jesus you can know His love and grow in His love.  In a world of every changing and unclear versions of truth and reality, we need that which is constant and clear, THE LOVE OF GOD.

Today, do not forget the simple, clear, and unchanging message of God’s love.  Be encouraged. Be hopeful. Be ready.

Blessings

READ

Read I John 4:7-19 and grow deeper in the love of the Father given through the Son.