Oh, Sweet Child, you are so loved!
The word love gets used in a variety of ways.
“I love pizza.”
“I love that show!”
“I love this song.”
And on and on.
Think about the last time you, in your core, felt loved for being you…just as you are? Some may think that it was just this morning, others may have to ponder for a while. Well, I want you to stop pondering and know that YOU ARE LOVED.
God loves you unconditionally. He loves you to your core. He has a great big hug for you too.
You are all around me—in front of me and behind me. I feel your hand on my shoulder. Psalm 139:5 ERV
My friend/pastor-of-all-sorts, Tommy Warnock, calls Psalm 139:5 a “hug from God”. Take a deep breath, close your eyes so that you only focus on His touch, sense God’s arms surrounding you, squeezing you tight and saying “I love you. You are My love.”
You are Loved
“I have loved you as the Father has loved me. Now continue in my love. John 15:9 ERV
These are red letter words…meaning that Jesus said these. Jesus loves you as His Father loves. That means unconditionally. We are to remain in or continue in His love. How? By following His ways. Stay in love with Christ…obey Him and follow his ways. His ways are truly best.
This is how God showed His love to us: He sent His only Son into the world to give us life through Him. True love is God’s love for us, not our love for God. He sent His Son as the way to take away our sins. That is how much God loved us, dear friends! So we also must love each other. 1 John 4:9-11 ERV
If you go back to the end of the verse before the above scripture, you’ll read “God is love”. Yes! He is love and He loves you! His love is true, not the kind we use when we say “I love pizza”. It’s like…it’s not just a feeling, yet a state of living. Live in God’s love and show His love to others.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17b-19 NIV
When you trust in Jesus Christ, He will make His home in your heart (Eph 3:17).When you trust in Jesus Christ, your roots will grow down deep and keep you strong.
We had an oak tree that wasn’t too far from the brick walkway in front of our former home. The walkway had to be replaced because the tree roots would burst forth and cause the walkway to rise. THIS is how our love should be…strong and busting through the various barriers in life, causing ourselves and others to rise above and love because He loves us.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV
I had to write this in the King James Version because that is how I memorized it as a child. People wear this on their shirts and hats, paint it on their face, display it on poster boards at games. I want to encourage you to wear it on you…wear it well so that others can see Christ in you and desire the hope and love that you display because of Christ and the everlasting life that you are secured in.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 NASB
Yep. He did. He loves us. He loves you. YOU ARE LOVED.
Blessings to you and yours,
Stephanie
*The featured photo is of my daughter Holly. We recently went to Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL. Such a beautiful place. I love the way the sun ray are shying down on Holly. I love the way I get to spend quality time with my daughter. I love my daughter. As much as I love her, God loves her so much more!
