When is the last time you considered God’s love for you? Do you ever feel distant from His love? Do you wish you could connect with His love in a more meaningful way? Well, God’s love for you is sincere. It’s powerful. Yes, God loves you, and that makes a huge difference in your daily living.
God’s Love For You Is Sincere
God is not some distant entity who is hard to connect with. His nature is not nebulous and unreachable. Although God is beyond our understanding – actually quite unfathomable – He is very present in the here and now. You can connect with Him 24/7 in personal ways. He’s here – with you – not off somewhere taking care of more pressing matters. In fact, your life details and difficulties are paramount to God.
God’s love for you is sincere – a personal thing. He desires an intimate relationship with each of His children. If you have trusted Jesus for salvation and forgiveness of sin, you are His child. Do you know Him as your tender Father? Jesus called Father “Abba.” That’s an Aramaic word for father, but more like “daddy.” It has the flavor of personal intimacy, affection, no fear, safety, contentment, and joy.
God’s Kids
A word about God’s kids. Even though all God’s children are part of His family, His sincere love is not so much the “group thing.” Of course, He loves His whole family. But He loves each individual passionately. I suppose you could even use the word “fiercely.” He has eager, intense love for each individual. For you!
I think of the word, fierce, when I imagine running interference or providing protection for my kids. Sleeves rolled up, geared-up, brass knuckles on, serious scary face toward the threat, and standing in the gap. Then you say something like Gandalf said in The Lord Of The Rings. “You . . . SHALL NOT . . . pass!!!” Your Father loves you fiercely.
Scripture overflows with promises of God wanting to protect and provide.
God’s Love Is A Mystery, But Not Mystic
To say God’s love is mystic makes it kind of obscure and other-world. But that’s not what Scripture teaches. God’s love is extremely tangible. It’s so real it overpowers everything physical. The mystery of God’s love was manifested in Jesus. It’s as if God wanted to get past all the esoteric and illusion of love – and just make it as plain as the nose on your face! So, to make His love connectible in daily life, He became a man. Now, that’s mystery!
Col. 2:2 says the mystery of God is Jesus Christ. It also says God wants His children to know this mystery, personally. Further, it says God desires you to have “the full riches of complete understanding” to know His love. This, too, is a mystery! God wants you to know Him. He wants to be known.
As I ponder God’s love for people, individuals around the globe and through the centuries, I’m simply struck by the mystery of God’s love. Yet, it’s so profoundly real – more reliable than the physical world. There is no room for mysticism in true love. Only mystery!
Seven Wonderful Facts About God’s Love
So far, we’ve described God’s love for you as sincere and very real. It’s personal, full of intimacy, affection, and closeness. There is no fear, but rather safety, contentment, and joy. We’ve also seen His love is fierce with protection – so fierce, it drove Jesus to the cross to win a battle over your enemy.
God doesn’t hide His love for you. He has gone to extremes to make His love known and easy to connect with. But He also knows love is a two-way street. Relationship happens when both parties contribute. His love for you will never stop or change. Still, you need to open up to receive His love. Then the circle of love and relationship with Him is completed – when you give your love back to God. He receives it with delight. But whether you ever love Him back or not, He will never stop loving you.
There are seven exciting things about God’s love. These points are filled with power and fresh hope. They show God’s love for you is sincere. As you consider them, ask yourself questions. Have you tapped into these resources in your trials and challenges? If not, why not?
1. Jesus covers you with His love and fills all the cracks in your life.
God loves you so very much. His love is poured out on you. It’s like a shield as it forms a buffer that, if removed, would leave you exposed, vulnerable, and deeply wounded. You don’t know that reality because God has never removed His love. But if He ever did, you wouldn’t believe the awful reality! (Perhaps that is what hell is.) God’s love pours over this world and every person alive. It covers every issue in your life and trickles down into the cracks and crevices of all that is unfinished and imperfect. Jesus is your covering.
2. Jesus faced every kind of temptation you do. Then He died in your place.
Jesus knows how hard life is. He faced every kind of temptation and trial you face – without sin. That elevates Him to the highest place. It lifts you up also – because this up-close investment of His life in the human condition proves Jesus wants to share your life in every way. It proves God’s love for you is sincere. The incredible bonus – He also wants you to share in His life in every way. Jesus knows from the ground level up how hard your life is. Living “without sin” enabled Him to take your place and lift away the consequences of sin – to spare you from punishment. Jesus is your sacrifice.
3. Jesus carried His own blood into the real tabernacle.
The fact that Jesus carried His own blood through the heavens to offer on your behalf on the altar in the real tabernacle (as only the great High Priest could) further demonstrates His love for you. He reverently entered God’s holy place – and straight into the Holy of Holies. Upon entering, He boldly walked to the altar, and presented His own life blood to God as the atonement for your sins – for all sins of all people in all centuries of time. Jesus is your great High Priest.
4. Jesus lived His life in the trenches like you do.
During His life on earth, Jesus’ love for you put Him in the trenches of difficulties and troubles – like the ones you experience. He went through the painful stuff. Because He endured all types of suffering and rejections – without sin – He intimately connects with your deepest struggles and sorrows. Jesus is your great Lover.
5. Jesus opened a door for you to approach Him any time, about anything.
You can approach Jesus at all times about anything. Reach back from your heart by faith to His great heart. Grab onto the Scriptures about God’s love for you. You can have confidence and assurance in His perfect love. Jesus is your door to God’s great heart.
6. God’s love covers all your life conditions.
There is no sin, illness, condition, loss, torment, or sorrow that the love of God does not care about. His love drowns out all screaming voices. His whisper overpowers the cacophony of this noisy world. The storms of life are calmed by God’s love. It covers your sins, provides in your illness, comforts in your sorrows, companions with you in your rejections, and fills the holes of your losses. God loves you. Jesus is the voice of God’s love for you.
7. The Creator designed you with needs, and He intends to meet them.
Jesus cares about your needs. He created them. Hunger, thirst, sleep, stress, companionship, health – all part of the template of being human. You were created to depend on God. Because God loves you, He promises to meet ALL your needs. (Phil. 4:19) Jesus is the one who will meet your needs.
Application Questions
- Are you staying under the shield – the buffer – of God’s love?
- Have you accepted Jesus’ sacrifice that lifts away eternal consequences of sin?
- Do you navigate details each day with the confidence of being covered by the blood of Jesus?
- Do you welcome Jesus into the trenches of your trials as your great Lover?
- In your troubles, do you walk through the door, Jesus, to be instantly connected with God’s love?
- Are you listening to Jesus, the Voice of God’s love for you?
- Are you turning to Jesus to meet your needs because God’s love for you is sincere?
(Article developed from Heb. 4:14-16; Heb. 9:11-15)
For more on God’s desire for a relationship with you, check out Shadows Of Things To Come. This is a fresh look at Hebrews, applying ideas that will transform your life with love and hope.
