How do you truly know that God loves you?
I don't know that I have the answer to this question because some days, to be perfectly honest, I don't feel that God loves me.
I know that He does because His word says He does but there are times that I just don't feel secure in that truth.
Believing that His words are not only true, that they are the definition of what TRUTH actually is, that is the only way for me to know that God loves me.
Just believing His words are true.
It's hard somedays though, isn't it?
“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 did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him...But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us...but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved.”
John 3:16-17; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4-5 How do you truly know that God loves you? How do you know that God loves you? There is no length that God won’t go to in order to show His love for you. Know this “For this is what the Lord says—He who created the heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited—He says: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:18 God loves you and will never stop.
Your turn ... Who do you really, really love? What lengths are you willing to go to show and prove your love? Many will die for another. But how many will with purpose and intent send their child to die for another? Would you? Father God did. He sent Jesus to die for us. For you, because He really, really loves you. In quiet, meditate on this truth.
Now with purpose pray ... “I love You, LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold...In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His ears. The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because He was angry. Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from His mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under His feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; and, He soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness His covering, His canopy around Him—the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of His presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot His arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning He routed them. The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at Your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.” Psalm 18:1-2, 6-16
“This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:9-11 God loves you with an everlasting love.
How to do this as a weekly Bible study Day One: Experience Read the entire devotion. Do any verses stand out to you? If so, write it down and work on memorizing it over the week. I personally love the app “Scripture Typer.” Day Two: Observe & Read Chain. Look up and chain verses (For example on how to chain verses, see this video). Day Three: Interpret Read through the chain of verses starting with the first one. What do they say? Do you notice when it says “never” or “always” or “If, but, however, therefore, all…..” Day Four: Application Do “Your turn” and make a list of people that God has put on your heart when you read this. Day Five: Testify Who in your life, right now, can you share this with? There is somebody in your life that needs to hear this. Close your eyes. What name came to mind?
