god loves you

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. . . . 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:13-21

From my earliest years, I've sung, “Jesus loves me, this I know . . .” Even though I've had that knowledge for a long time, it was only a couple of years ago that I was stunned by its reality. I was taking some time away at our church's camp to rest and plan for the coming year. I spent hours looking out at what God himself had created—tall trees, a quiet lake, wildlife.

And then it happened. God met me there so personally, in such a powerful way, and immersed me in the fact that he loves me. Why does a grown man need to know that God loves him? That's just for kids, right? Wrong!

You probably know a lot of things about God's love. But surprisingly, many people don't truly comprehend God's amazing, overcoming, personal love for them. In fact, it's possible to know God for decades and still not realize the depth of his love for you. The Bible tells us that this discovery often takes some time: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us” (1 John 4:16).

Growing deep in our Christian life includes this process of coming to know and believe in God's love. Our maturity is also linked to our embracing the truth that God loves us—passionately, eternally, and individually.

Think about what God says in Isaiah 43:1-3, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

To come to know and believe that God loves you is like the first sight of a picturesque mountain peak by someone born blind; it's like the crescendo of a symphony to a person who had been deaf.

Open up your soul to the reality that God loves you! —James MacDonald walkintheword.com

seeking: Where has your Spirit just allowed my heart to soar? How am I experiencing your love this minute?

responding: Where am I in the process of discovering God's love for me? Is it head or heart knowledge? What doubts hinder me from embracing the love God has shown me?

I don't understand your love for me, God, but I enter its depths. By faith, I receive your truth and allow you to move me from my intellectual understanding to a deep heart-knowledge that you love me with an everlasting love.

following: Jesus loves me—it's more than simple lyrics to a song.

our journey