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“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.” 1 John 4:16

If you’ve been walking with the Lord for any amount of time, you’ve probably recognized when He’s really trying to tell you something. You hear it in Sunday’s sermon, then you read it in a daily devotional and hear it on a podcast, then it comes up in conversation with a brother or sister. And you think, “Ah, I get it, Lord!”

So, when a “Providential theme” around me lately seemed to be “the love of God,” it was easy to think, “Well, of course, God loves me and others!” One of the first Bible verses most Christians (and football fans) come to know is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” God loves the world! And He loves you and me so much that while we were yet sinners (separated enemies of God), Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Moreover, nothing—not trouble, persecution, famine, rulers, even death—can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39).

But the other night, in talking with my husband about yet another message we heard about God’s love, the profound statement, “God loves you” was opened up in a fresh way within my spirit. And it was simply by reiterating the statement with a respective emphasis on each of the three words. Let me explain.

First, with the emphasis on “God”: GOD loves you. The Creator of heaven and earth. The Sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords. The Light, the Way, the Truth. The great I Am. The Alpha and Omega of eternity loves you. Let that sink in, friend.

Second, with the emphasis on “loves”: God LOVES you. This love is not the fleeting kind of this world, emotion-driven love that waxes and wanes depending upon the recipient’s performance or attitude. The love of God is unconditional, steadfast, and perfect. It is sacrificial. It casts out fear. As noted in Romans 8, His love is unbreakable. It’s also unreasonable, unfathomable, and unending.

Finally, with the emphasis on “you”: God loves YOU. Whether or not you’re a believer, you may be thinking to yourself, “Me? How could God love me, given the life I’ve led (or am leading)? How could the Creator of all things who loves people with perfect love possibly extend that love to me?” Oh, friend, He does. And regardless of the mess you think you are (whether you’re wallowing in a proverbial pigsty or sitting in a pew every Sunday), the Father is here with open arms ready to embrace you. In fact, as Jesus shared in the parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32), as soon as you recognize your need for this unreasonable love and turn away from your sin (repent), turning to God, He will run to you! And in that embrace, there is no rebuke, disgust, or “I told you so” over your sin. Just forgiveness and love.

God loves you. And He demonstrated His perfect love for you by sending His perfect Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life and then take the penalty for your imperfection (sin). By conquering sin and death, Jesus made a way for us to be reconciled with the Father. When we accept the Great Exchange of our filthy rags for Jesus’ righteousness—when we receive the gift of God’s love—we are forgiven and free. And the statement “God loves me” will have an entirely new meaning.

“Lord, I pray that anyone reading this who believes they are unloved or unlovable will come to truly know Your unreasonable, perfect, sacrificial love. And that they turn around and run into your open arms today.”

 For His Glory
 

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life