To be loved.
“I will never leave you or forsake you…”
“Be strong and courageous, the Lord your God is with you wherever you will go…”
“For God so loved the world he gave his only son…”
How awesome is God?! I’m talking about the Creator. The Redeemer. The Life Giver. The King.
I can be so wrapped up in myself. But God is the ultimate Giver. I don’t think the he is overly concerned with himself (the way I can be). He loves. His love is ridiculous.
It’s all about him. But he’s all about us.
So why are you here? What’s the main reason you exist?
To work hard? To do good things? To enjoy life?
How about this: to be loved by God.
He calls you his child, his friend, his son, his daughter.
Everything that you have done, everything that has been done to you…
None of that makes a bit of difference when it comes to his love and acceptance of you. It’s done. dealt with. covered. cleared.
The things you’ve done when no one is looking.
The things you don’t think you can ever tell anyone else.
The things you’ve been through but want to forget.
COVERED. CLEARED. TAKEN CARE OF. WASHED CLEAN.
God accepts you as you are right now. He wants your heart, and there is nothing else and no one else who will love you, accept you, take care of you, strengthen you, and know you the way that God will. There is no where else to go but to him. Nothing else, and no one else, has the ability to love you and make you whole that God does. So do not be afraid, let him accept you, let him love you.
“We love because he first loved us.”
That’s our starting point. That’s our reason for living. That’s everything- his incomprehensible love.
Do you know this? In your heart of hearts, deep in your soul. in your inner most being. Do you know it? Has it ever wrenched your gut? Over the past few years there have been times where I have been so overcome by God and his love that all I can do is sit and cry my eyes out, literally weep. and then laugh. and then cry some more. throw a sob or twenty in there, and then cry some more, and laugh some more.
Maybe you know what I’m talking about. Maybe you want to know. Maybe you think I’m a little nuts and you don’t think God cares or it’s all just a little too much…
But…ask yourself…
Deep down…don’t you want that to be true? Don’t you want that love? that acceptance? that assurance? that deep, strong, flowing, inner-heart knowledge that you are loved and accepted by someone?
God has always loved people. We are his ultimate creation. We are his handiwork. Jesus gave his rights as God, his position in heaven, gave it up, came to earth as a man, a human being, lived a sinless life, and allowed himself to be killed to pay our debt to God. The innocent was punished so the guilty could be free! Free from our past, free from our mistakes and sins, free from the darkness that has held us. The one true man died for the forgiveness of the billions of others! And he rose from the dead! And he lives even now!
If you want to believe this. If you want to be loved, accepted, and important to someone. That someone is Jesus. That someone is the Living God. Open up a Bible. Talk to God. Be honest with him. Open up your deepest heart to him. Admit your need, your fears, your sins, your past. Let his love wash over you and cleanse you.
The main reason I am here is to be loved by God. And it is ridiculously good.
He’s waiting to hear from you, and to speak to you.
Will you open up to him? Will you listen for him?
