As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
-John 15:9
My church has been doing a sermon series on John 15 for the past few weeks, slowly taking apart its life-giving message word by word. This past Sunday was a special message focused on John 15:9 about God's love for us, a particularly meaningful one for me as God's love is a concept that I've been wrestling with lately.
Does God even love me? What kind of God is He anyway? While I feel almost blasphemous to think such words, to doubt God's love for me, our pastor assured us that these questions are important, necessary even, for us to grow deeper in our faith and our relationship with God. If we are truly to be in relationship with Him, we must know and believe the truths about His love for us. And yet, somehow, even mature Christians can find themselves in this state of unbelief. Perhaps we’re able to see how God loves others and even capable of encouraging others along in the faith, but there might still be a disconnect in terms of God's love for us personally.
Our pastor gave us several reasons as to why we may doubt God's love for us, and since they were so helpful for me, I wanted to share them with all of you. In order to understand why we doubt God's love, we must understand our view of God. Do we see God as a stern judge who's ready to smite us any time we do something wrong? Do we think that if we say "Yes" to God, He'll take away everything and everyone we love and make us become a missionary somewhere halfway across the world? Do we see God as we see some earthly parents who don't love their children unconditionally? Do we see the church as a place filled with hypocrites and thus equate God with the false god these people advertise? In a society that defines our worth by our looks, success, education, or career, is there any way that God could love us no matter how little we think we bring to the table? How can God love us "just because"- doesn't He need a reason? And finally, there is the ever present Satan, who delights in attempting to convince us that the Lord's truths are not true, that we're not worthy of God's love for us, that God can’t possibly love us that much.
And yet, in the midst of our doubts, there are those truths from the Lord that remind us of His love.
If you’re struggling with understanding God’s immense love for you, I encourage you to ask Him to reveal that love to you in a very personal way. Our God is not some distant being; He is here and He walks with us each and every step of the way. He longs to love and be loved, to lavish His everlasting love upon His dear children. I can’t tell you why He loves sinners like me, but I believe that He does, and that’s what faith is. God loves you yesterday, today, and tomorrow- His love is eternal!
Does God even love me? What kind of God is He anyway? While I feel almost blasphemous to think such words, to doubt God's love for me, our pastor assured us that these questions are important, necessary even, for us to grow deeper in our faith and our relationship with God. If we are truly to be in relationship with Him, we must know and believe the truths about His love for us. And yet, somehow, even mature Christians can find themselves in this state of unbelief. Perhaps we’re able to see how God loves others and even capable of encouraging others along in the faith, but there might still be a disconnect in terms of God's love for us personally.
Our pastor gave us several reasons as to why we may doubt God's love for us, and since they were so helpful for me, I wanted to share them with all of you. In order to understand why we doubt God's love, we must understand our view of God. Do we see God as a stern judge who's ready to smite us any time we do something wrong? Do we think that if we say "Yes" to God, He'll take away everything and everyone we love and make us become a missionary somewhere halfway across the world? Do we see God as we see some earthly parents who don't love their children unconditionally? Do we see the church as a place filled with hypocrites and thus equate God with the false god these people advertise? In a society that defines our worth by our looks, success, education, or career, is there any way that God could love us no matter how little we think we bring to the table? How can God love us "just because"- doesn't He need a reason? And finally, there is the ever present Satan, who delights in attempting to convince us that the Lord's truths are not true, that we're not worthy of God's love for us, that God can’t possibly love us that much.
And yet, in the midst of our doubts, there are those truths from the Lord that remind us of His love.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
-John 15: 12-13
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-Romans 8: 38-39
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
-John 15:9
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