Many Christians struggle to believe that God loves them. They have been raised in churches that promote the idea that God is angry or disappointed in them, that He’s holding a big celestial clipboard, checking off every time they fall short. Nothing could be further from the truth. First John 4:8 tells us that “God is love.” If you struggle to accept God’s love, here are three ways God proved His love to you:
- God Loved You Enough to Send Jesus
If you have children, you know how precious they are to you. You love them, and probably wouldn’t hesitate to lay down your life for them. It’s a somber thought, but if you’ve ever had a child struggling with some illness or painful experience, you’ve probably thought, I would take this pain if I could.
Well, God looked at us—His creation—and went one step beyond that. He said, “He (Jesus, My Child) will take this pain for you.” God sent His Son to die for you and every other person on earth. First John 4:9-10 explains it like this: “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”
- God Loved You Enough to Make You Righteous
Often Christians believe that they are saved, but they struggle to accept that they have been made righteous. Even after their salvation, they continue to see themselves as ugly, putrid sinners. They completely miss the fact that Jesus paid the price so they could be made new, or put in “right-standing” with the Father. Before your salvation, you were a sinner, but today, “you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).
- God Loved You Enough to Bring You Into THE BLESSING
God didn’t only save His people from death, He also saved them to life. No longer must you endure the enemy’s grasp. Sickness, lack, defeat, poverty—these are penalties visited upon humanity by Satan. God’s children have been freed from that system by Jesus’ sacrifice. Now, you have access to THE BLESSING as outlined in Deuteronomy 28:3-6: “Your towns and your fields will be blessed. Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed.”
If you struggle to believe and live like God loves you completely and without reservation, begin to meditate on these truths. Study the Scriptures, so you can learn about the depth of God’s love and build your faith concerning it. Remember, you serve a mighty God, and He delights in you!