Knowing God's Love

One of the first songs I can remember hearing as a child began like this, "Jesus loves me, this I know". It was from an early age that I learned of God's love and how much he loved me. It's true even when you and I don't feel it. This love of God. How can I know for sure that God loves me? "Because the bible tells me so." John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

"For God so loved...". Can you imagine the love it took for God to send his son to the cross? God loved us enough that He gave up His only son. Is it sometimes hard for you to believe God has a special love just for you? God doesn't see you as you see yourself, whether its feeling unworthy, feeling guilty, addicted, weak or a multitude of other things. When God looks at you, He only sees a beloved child, covered with His grace and mercy. I know, its easy to say God loves you and you've probably heard it a hundred times before. The question is how can you make it real in your life, so real that you are changed. You can't. But, God can. God can change the way we think, and change our lives, but you must seek Him and desire Him. You must draw close to Him, and ask Him to lead you.

No matter how you may feel, just remember, you are the focus of God's attention. He longs to love you, to be your friend. If there was ever a man who wanted to lavish his bride with love, or his son with many gifts, God longs for you to have only the best. Even in the midst of our struggles, we should expect great things from our God. With our Lord, the impossibilities are only playthings. Rise up!

How wide is God's love? Wide enough--to reach the broken, the empty, the prostitute, the abused, the rich, the poor and yes, even wider still.

How long is God's love? Beyond our most secret hiding place, beyond our foolishness, beyond our mistakes, beyond our faults and farther still.

How deep is God's love? Deeper than any feeling of guilt, deeper than our shame, deeper than our hurts, deeper than our unworthiness, deeper than any fear and deeper still.

In the darkest hours of our lives, when we are at our lowest and feeling so far from God...look up! The enemy will seek to keep you looking down, bound to your feelings, but...look up! When the world around us trembles, fear not...look up! The enemy will try anything he can to keep you defeated and bound, every tactic that he can employ. One of the devil's favorite tactics is to surround us and cut off our supplies. If he can, he will get us out of the Word, and to the place we no longer pray. He will do all he can to keep us out of church. If you no longer pray, if you no longer study the Word and you have drifted out of church--be prepared. You have created an opening for the enemy to lay siege on your life. You must awaken yourself, rouse yourself from this state and refuse to let the devil draw you away from God.

If you find yourself today lost in feelings of unworthiness, emptiness, or bound by the tactics of the enemy...humble yourself, be honest about your struggles before God and ask the Lord to forgive you. Ask Him to help you learn to forgive yourself. Yield yourself to Him, for his purposes and allow Him to flood you with His love. And remember, "It's never too late".