Hosanna Restoration Church

Do you know that you are loved? Even if you feel like no one else in the world loves you, you are still loved. God loves you. So what is new? You have heard that before, right! Okay, if you have heard it, how much do you believe it? How much do any of us believe it? How much do you think about how much God loves you?

There have been times when I would be praying about certain things that were not going just exactly the way I had hoped and they were always settled with the reminder of His love for me. His word reminds us that God is for us, so nothing can be against us. If God is on our side what can anyone or anything do to us? We sing, “If God be for me who can be against me?” Still, there are times when we begin to wonder if God is really for us in a given situation. What if we are not in His will? What if we are going the wrong way? It is certainly possible for us to get into things that God will not support, but it is not possible for us to stop Him from loving us. God is love and we are loved.

Christians will often speak of the “world” as though it is a dirty word. We refer to people as being worldly, or those people out in the world, or this evil world around us. And of course there is truth to that, but we should not forget that it was God’s great love for the world that provided for our salvation. Do you think He has stopped loving the world or anyone in it? I can’t find anywhere in His word that that would confirm that. We do know that He hates unrighteousness. We better all be thankful that He still loves the people even if He hates the acts. Or have you become perfect? Of course you haven’t, none of us have.

Let’s get back to how God loves us. Every time I read about John being the one Jesus loved it draws my attention. At one time I thought it was a bit presumptuous of him to write such a thing. But now I realize he was just saying it because he believed Jesus. How did he get to be so sure it was true? He stayed close to Jesus. He spent so much time close to Him that there was not a doubt in His mind about how much Jesus loved him. It was so obvious that the others saw it too. Peter saw it. He asked Jesus, “What about him Lord?” Peter was one who Jesus took to the mount with him, so he was in pretty tight too. Still, he saw something extra between John and Jesus. John knew he was loved.

We can all be thankful this Thanksgiving season because God loves us. Knowing that He loves us will see us through every hurdle in life. Remember, His love for you is not based on performance. He is love and He loves perfectly. He has all the love that you are prepared to receive and depend on. Faith is great and hope is great, but love is the greatest. Our faith in God can waver. Our hope can grow dim. But God’s love will never fail. So remember that God loves you and give thanks.