Knowing God Loves Me

      Has it ever occurred to you that if God doesn't love you that you are in big trouble, It is a fact that there are millions of people who live in anxious fear of their god or gods. Their hope is that they will be able to avoid making their god(s) angry or be able to make a sacrifice that will appease this anger. Some of these people call themselves Christians.

     Even among more enlightened Christians the thought rises, "Does God really love me?" As long as that doubt is present that Christian is vulnerable to having a poor self image, low self esteem, fear, guilt, and insecurity. That makes the finding of the answer to this question a matter of high importance.

God Loves Me Because He Made Me

     David was moved by the Holy Spirit to write, "As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those fear (revere) Him, for He Himself knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust." Psalms 103:13, 14. God made the original man from dust. The living cells of our bodies are a continuation of the living cells of that first man. As a loving Father who brought man into existence God compassionately takes into account our frailty.

As fathers and mothers we bring children into the world to love them. We had a pretty good idea they would burp on our shoulders; mess their pants; drool; stain their clothes and break things. We also had some idea that when they got older they would be a real drain on our money; get into trouble at school; wreck our cars and do some really crazy (stupid) things. When they do all this stuff, we still love them. Are we crazy? No, God put a compassion within us as mothers and fathers to love them in spite of these things. We knew about these frailties before we ever brought them into the world.

God also knew the frailties every human would have before He made the first man. In spite of our many frailties God desires to have a relationship with us as our loving heavenly Father.

God Loves Me Because He Cares About Every Detail of My Life

"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered" Matthew 10:30. Notice that Jesus said numbered, not counted. There are some people who wouldn't get much comfort from the word counted. As little hair as they have that wouldn't give them much assurance of God's loving care. But when Jesus says that God has put a number on every hair we ever had or ever will have, we begin to realize that God looks upon every detail of our lives in loving care.

All of us are going to experience some tough times. Those are the times we're tempted to ask, "Does God know and does He care?" Jesus assures us that God is fully aware of that relationship problem, that financial problem, that physical problem, that grief problem, that dependency problem, that temptation problem, that depression problem…and the very reason He knows is because He cares. He also has given assurance that as you reach out to Him in faith He will either solve your problem or give you grace to bear it. Check out Paul's experience on that in 2nd Corinthians 12:1-10.

God Loves Me Because He Supplies Me With All Things To Enjoy

"…God, Who gives us richly all things to enjoy." 1st Timothy 6:17

God gave us a set of eyes and filled the world with color; raised up the mountains; carved out the canyons; created glorious sunsets and star lit nights? Why, so that the enjoyment of God's creation could flood our being through our eyes.

God gave us a pair of ears and set the birds singing, the squirrels chattering, the crickets chirping and the animals calling to one another. To this He added the gifts of language, music and song. Why, so that we might enjoy these sounds through our ears.

God gave us a mouth with teeth and taste buds, and filled the world with fruit, grain, vegetables, and spices. He gave us the knowledge to make banana pudding, pecan pies, strawberry shortcake, and ice cream. Some of us have even discovered prime rib, filet mignon and barbecued ribs. Why, because just like we take delight watching our children eat something they enjoy our heavenly Father takes delight in watching us enjoy a good meal.

When you begin to realize that God supplies us with all things to enjoy then you can really begin to enjoy these things. You won't need to get high on drugs, drunk on alcohol or satiated with illicit sex. Your heart is warmed that God loves you because He has given you all things to enjoy.

God Loves Me Because He Has Good Plans For My Life

When Judah was taken into captivity in Babylon they felt like God had written them off. But God sent them a message from Jeremiah that after seventy years He would bring them home. "For I know the thoughts that I think  toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. ...Then you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you…"  . Jeremiah 29:11, 12, 13.

God never writes off one of His children or the vilest sinner He knows will become one of his children. God has good plans for all His children because He loves them.

God plans for me to have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish , but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

God plans for me to have life abundantly, because Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10.

God plans for me to be shaped into the likeness of His Son and that is the reason all things (even the bad things) work together for my good. Romans 8:28, 29.

God plans for me to be fruitful and productive. When I received Jesus Christ as my Savior the Holy Spirit came to live in me:

1. To produce in me the spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness. - Galatians 5:22, 23

2.  To equip me with a special ability to minister to the needs of God's people. - 1st Corinthians 12:7ff; 1st Peter 4:10.

3.  To empower me to bear witness of the salvation that is in Jesus Christ to those who have not yet received Him as their Savior. Acts 1:8.

God plans for me to enjoy full inheritance in the kingdom of God along with Jesus Christ. Romans 8:15-17; Ephesians 1:9-11.

I know God loves me because He has good plans for my life.

God Loves Me Because He Sent His Son To Die For My Sin

     This is the utmost proof of God's love. We were the ones who had lived in rebellion against God; breaking His laws and offending His holy, righteous, and just nature. Yet, God sent His Son to take our sins upon Himself and receive the punishment for our sins as if He were the one who had committed them. And so we read, "But God demonstrates (proves) His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. Nearly 2000 years before we were born Christ died for the sins we have committed and the sins we will commit in the future.

     Many of us heard how Jesus loved us and died for our sins, yet we rejected Him and willfully continued on in our sins. He still loved us and the Holy Spirit of God kept tugging on our heart until we received Christ as our Savior. When we did, we found out that God still loved us just as much as He did the hour Christ died for our sins.

I know God loves me because He sent Christ to die for me.

God Loves Me Because Nothing Can Separate Me From His Love

     "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.'  Yet in all these things we  are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,  nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord," Romans 8:35-39.

     For those of you who have not yet received Jesus Christ as your Savior, I encourage you to seriously doing so. God wants to establish that relationship with you. Years before you were born God knew you would be here this morning to hear this message, He planned to get your attention and say to you, "I love you. I sent my Son, Jesus Christ, to die for your sins. If you let me into your life you will become My child forever and if you let Me guide you according to My plan for your life will begin to make much more sense and be gratifying than you ever dreamed.

Copyright © 2002 Thomas E Berry
All Scripture quoted from NKJV unless otherwise noted

 

    Copyright © 2008 Truth Helpers Inc.