A 30-DAY GUIDE FOR NEW BELIEVERS
by JOHN D. BECKETT
DAY 5 GOD IS LOVE
How can I be sure of God’s love?
We all know life can be harsh. Consequently, it may be difficult to look at our circumstances and conclude that God is a god of love. Perhaps you grew up in a broken home with little evidence of love -- possibly even abuse -- from your earthly father. You may have lost loved ones to illness, accident or war. In some areas of the world, poverty and famine are daily realities. Where is God's love in all this?
I believe God's heart aches more than we can ever know at the pain, suffering, injustice and difficulties all His children encounter, especially when you understand that most of it is the result of mankind turning away from Him. Sin's entrance into the world brought severe consequences. Yet from the onset of sin and its ravages, God had the remedy in mind.
That remedy was Jesus. While we were still caught up in sin, God sent His own Son to buy us back -- to "redeem" us. Here is the way Jesus describes the love of God:
God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16 NIV).
The Apostle John also focused on God's love:
God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him (1 John 4:8,9 NIV).
Oswald Chambers sums up the linkage between the cross and God's love:
The bedrock of our Christian faith is the unmerited, fathomless marvel of the love of God exhibited on the Cross of Calvary, a love we never can and never shall merit (March 7).
Billy Graham, in his recent book, The Journey, says, "The more I read the Bible, the more I realize that love is God's supreme attribute" (p. 22).
When you yielded your life to God and were born again, you came face to face with your heavenly Father's love. Now, as you continue your Christian journey, lean into that love, drawing deeply upon it. Immerse yourself in His love and care.
Here is a prayer, penned to the early church in Ephesus by the Apostle Paul, who wrote several letters to new believers that are recorded in the New Testament. You can make this prayer your own: "(that you may) know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19).
Key Scripture God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son (John 3:16 NIV).
Key Thought God’s love for me has never wavered -- and it never will.
For more resources to help you grow as a Christian, you can go to www.LookToJesus.com
Copyright © 2006 by John D. Beckett
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