Have you ever doubted the love of
God in your life? Do little things happen that are not a part of your plan
and cause you to wonder,
“Don’t You
love me God?”
Have you ever been there? Have you
been in the midst of some difficult circumstances and wondered if God loves
you? Have you ever believed that you sinned so greatly that God could never love
you or accept you? Some of you have, I know.
What would you have to see or
experience to realize this love? How about a day where everything goes right,
or an extra paycheck or bonus shows up in your mail slot? For multitudes of
people the gauge of God’s love are the circumstances in their lives. If things
go well then God loves them and is pleased with them. If things go badly then
God is somehow displeased with them, especially if things go wrong for an
extended period.
I once went through a horrible time
of conflict and as a
result, I thought that God was done with using me in ministry. I was deeply
grieved at this thought, I but wanted what God wanted for me and for His
church. I did not realize that in the midst of all that grief I was questioning God’s love
for me. It became clear that I had been questioning and doubting God when I was
asked to participate in the Christmas service by reading the Word of God to the
congregation in the Christmas Eve service. I was simply overjoyed at the
privilege of being asked to share the Word of God on that special day, and
vividly recall hanging up the phone and crying out with tears and shouts of
joy, "You do still love me! You do still
love me!”
Until that moment, I did not realize
I had doubted His love for me. I also did not realize that my beliefs were in conflict
with the truth of Scripture. I did not realize what an insult to the Lord Jesus
Christ such thoughts and beliefs truly are.
For while we were still helpless, at
the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a
righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8
If you find yourself today wondering
if God still loves you ask yourself this, how much more would God
have to do for you to show you that He loves you? What more
can a person do for you to show you
His love than to die for you?
We make heroes out of men who jump
on train tracks to rescue a little child and rightfully so! What about one Man
who provided a way of rescue for every man woman and child ever born? What else
could He possibly do to persuade you of His love?
Jesus is enough! His
death was enough to prove the love of God for us my friends. His death was
sufficient to secure our salvation. His death was enough to secure our
life. His death was proof of His love as on that day for the first time ever in
all of eternity God turned His face away from His own Son. (Matt.27:46)
But the LORD was pleased To crush
Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering… Isaiah
53:10
God did not spare His own Son in any
respect in this death. Jesus’ death was not private as His betrayer’s was.
(Matt. 27:3-5, Acts 1:18) It was not a simple hanging in a deserted place or a
neat and orderly affair, it was a bloody, messy, vile affair that was public;
and every stripe was intentional, every drop of blood spilled was accounted
for.
In his book Grow in Grace Sinclair
Ferguson says, “When we think of Christ’s dying on the cross we are shown the
lengths to which God’s love goes in order to win us back to Himself. We would
almost think that God loved us more than he loves His Son. We cannot measure
His love by any other standard. He is saying to us, ‘I love you this much.’”
Carefully read Isaiah 53 today.
Spend some time meditating on the great love that God has shown us in Jesus
Christ. Put away the childish notions that worldly things are evidence of His love
and favor and instead think on things that are true (Phil 4:8)
“Greater
love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13