Introduction
Does God actually love you? Do you believe that Jesus loves you? These questions are often either overlooked or answered with a superficial YES. I also think that the love of Jesus for us is often minimalized or, even worse, neglected. I often see this subject easily brushed off, as if it’s something we have graduated from. But the truth is, we can never graduate from His love.
To the one who feels unloved; to the one who carries the weight of the world on their shoulders; and to the one who believes that no one will love them because of their insecurities, trauma, or brokenness—this is for you. I write this as an encouragement to you.
Too many times, we miss the reality that we, as believers, now live in when we forget the love that Jesus has for us. It can become dangerous when we live our lives deprived of the love of our Savior. When we forget to live in His love, we (1) lose sight of who we are as children of God, (2) lose sight of those right in front of us, (3) fail to have compassion for those in suffering, and/or (4) neglect to intentionally listen to those voicing their pain and hurt. Ultimately, we forget the ones who have not experienced the love of Christ—that is, the unsaved.
During the summer, I worked at a manufacturing job doing general labor. I worked with a guy who was not the easiest to love. Many times, I just wanted to give up trying to love him. (I’m sure many of you have experienced this before in your workplace, school, or even daily life as well.) But as it was nearing my time to leave for school again, I began to think about the relationships that I built with Him and other co-workers—mind you, these are unbelievers. They had become my friends, and I began to have a great love for them. My heart began to break for them because, as people whom I held dear to my heart now, I saw that their greatest need was to know Jesus Christ and to have a relationship with Him.
Our Greatest Need
You see, that is something that I’ve realized when it comes to loving someone. When you love someone, you see their greatest need and do your best to fulfill it. Let me tell you something: the all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good God who created the universe saw our greatest need and fulfilled it in Christ. To understand how much Jesus really loves us, we need to understand what our greatest need is. Ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve, sin and death came into the world and infected everything in its path, affecting our relationship to be in separation from God. Sin is what separates us from God because sin is in direct opposition to God and His character.
To bridge the great divide between God and man, there had to be someone perfect and blameless. That person was God the Son himself, Jesus Christ, sent in the form of a human. Jesus Christ lived the perfect life we could not live and died the death that we deserved as sinners on the cross. And as He was on that cross, He took on the sins of the world and experienced the wrath of God as the punishment for our sins. On the third day, He rose from the tomb, conquered death, and defeated evil once and for all. Our greatest need isn’t in material possessions or instant gratifications; it’s Jesus Himself.
In 1 John 5:12, it says, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” In Jesus Christ, we are able to have life! This life is free from the bondage, shame, and guilt of our sins because there is no condemnation for those who belong to Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1)! This is how much Jesus truly loves you, brothers and sisters, that He was willing to give up His own life for you despite your sinful ways (1 John 3:16; Romans 5:9).
Living Into This Reality
Throughout this year, God has been teaching and showing me what His love does for me as a believer. He has shown me that, when we come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, He transforms us into a completely new person—a whole new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). I want to share with you three truths in which God’s love transforms us.
1. God is Our Loving Father
God loves us so much that when we come into a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, we are no longer called His enemies but sons and daughters. “See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). And because we are now God’s children, we can have no fear of condemnation since we have a Father who waits for us with His arms open wide, willing to take us in despite our brokenness and ugliness (Luke 15:22-24).
You see, I think so many Christians forget this part of their new life in Christ. So often when we fall into sin, we think that God is always angry or mad at us. We think that He’s going to smite us down at any moment for the sins that we have committed. But that is far from the truth! God desires for us—even when we are on the brink of giving in to temptation—to run to Him, lean on Him for strength, and find satisfaction in Him.
Many Christians, including myself, have struggled to see God as our Heavenly Father because our earthly fathers have failed us. If you are struggling with this, I want you to know that I understand how you feel, and I hear your pain. I want to remind you, brothers and sisters, that while our earthly fathers have failed us, our Heavenly Father has not because He is good and perfect. Continue to live your lives as children of God who are so dearly loved by our Heavenly Father and find satisfaction in Him.
2. God is Our True Rest
Some of us might be carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders or have high standards and expectations for ourselves. And when we fail, we fail hard. We won’t be able to perfectly live up to the expectations we place on ourselves because we will always fall short.
I know many of you might feel this way or think this way. I struggle too. One thing God has taught me is that, in Jesus Christ, we can have true rest. “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). We can have rest from all of these expectations that are too burdensome to carry. When we come before Jesus and lay our burdens on Him, we can have the freedom to rest in His wondrous peace and love.
3. God is Our Strength
“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).
This verse has helped me through some of the darkest times in my life. It gives me life when I feel too weak to live. It gives me hope when I feel hopeless. And it reminds me of the extent of Christ’s love for me. This verse is so counter-cultural. Our society tells us to be strong and not show any weakness. But God’s word tells us to “boast” or even “take pleasure” in our weaknesses! Why is that? It is because God’s power is made perfect in our weaknesses.
When Christ was on that cross dying for our sins, He was in agony, He was shamed, He was mocked, He was humiliated. But yet, through His death on the cross, our sins were paid in full. How amazing is that? That in Christ’s weakness, the power of God to cleanse us from our sins was made a reality! What we thought that made us broken is now redeemed by the blood of Christ.
Brothers and sisters, some of you think that your weaknesses, traumas, brokenness, and sinfulness stop Jesus from loving you. They don’t. As a matter of fact, Jesus redeems the most broken parts of you. He is telling you that those lies you’re believing about yourself have already been redeemed, making you beautiful. The sin you are struggling with actually makes Jesus love you even deeper. It shows us how much more powerful and loving the Savior is even in our weakness.
Conclusion
Run to the Father. Surrender your strivings and find your rest in Jesus. Depend on Him even in your weaknesses. The God of everlasting love is with you. Jesus loves you.
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