So many people wonder, “Does God really love me?” It's a normal question for anyone to wonder, especially if things are going badly in their lives. We all think about whether God loves us when times get rough or when difficult circumstances arrive in our lives, but there is one event that without dispute will always give us the assurance that God loves us. John the apostle shares that event with us today in First John chapter three and verse sixteen. He wrote:
Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren.
John says, here is how we know that God loves us, “because he laid down his life for us”. Think about this for a moment. God who created everything, even us, came to the Earth, lived a perfect life in Jesus, and then gives that perfect life as a sacrifice for us with His death on the cross. If we ponder this long enough, we are dumbfounded, but He did it. If we ever doubt whether God loves us, all we have to do is to remember the cross. John the apostle said it this way in the gospel of John chapter three and verse sixteen:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son. That whosoever believes in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
If we ever think that God doesn't love us, if we ever wonder if His love has departed from us, all we have to do is to remember that God so loved us that He sent His son Jesus to die for us. Look to the cross. Remember the cross. The cross is the only proof we need to know that God loves us. Jesus gave His life for ours, and because He did, we can have fellowship with God. The only barrier to that fellowship is our belief. If we believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and that He was raised again from the dead, we shall be saved, and that salvation leads to a loving relationship with God. God desires fellowship with us, and this is why the apostle John has been emphasizing this over and over with us throughout this book.
Notice with me also that John adds a tag on to this evidence that God loves us: “and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” The natural outflow from us when we know that God loves us is to love others. Remember, “loving God and loving people” has been part of the theme to John's words in this book. When we know that God loves us by His sacrifice on the cross, the next step should be to love others in the same manner. He gave His life for us, now we give our lives for others. This is the challenge, and Jesus set this high standard for us to follow.
God loves us, dear one, and please, never forget it. If perhaps we do, turn to the cross. Remember the sacrifice, and revisit the love of God new and afresh day after day after day.
Next time we shall look at what John has to say about seeing others in need, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow...there is more...
Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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