John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
Recently I watched a sermon by Rich Wilkerson Jr. where he said something that really resonated with me. To paraphrase it, he basically said don’t exclude yourself from God’s love. The scripture says God so loved the world, we are part of that world, you are part of that world, I am part of that it. Sometimes I feel like we exclude ourselves from the world when we talk about how much God loves us, we are under that umbrella too and no one is barely under it. It’s big enough for all of us to fit under it comfortably. He loves each and every one of us individually. He loves you so much. I want you to really know that today, get it in your spirit, know it, breathe it. Because His love is breathing in us, His love is pumping blood to our hearts. His love is allowing us to move freely and enjoy life.
I have had moments in my life where things have happened or I looked back over my past and just say, “God really loves me”. And he does, so much! My life is proof of that. Your life is proof of that. Sometimes we have to apply scriptures to ourselves personally and make sure we include ourselves in the word of God. God loves you, yes He loves the world and you know that, but you need to know that He loves you. The person reading this devotional, that person. You. He loves you!
Another thing Pastor Rich said was, “If we didn’t get the message that Jesus loves us through His words, look at His body language.”
What he meant by that, is if Jesus telling us He loves us wasn’t enough. Look at what He did to prove it, to show it. Look at the cross, look at what He went through on behalf of love. God sent Him to die because He loves us. This seems like beginner’s teaching but it is so imperative that we go back to where it all started. It’s important that we constantly return to the cross because that’s where everything changed. We can get so caught up in the theological aspect of it all that we forget the simple yet profound aspect of it. Jesus loves us, so much that He took on our sin and died in our place. And you can take that and ascribe i to yourself personally. Jesus died for you, He died for me, He died for the world. Make it personal, we forget that a relationship with God is personal. Yes being a Christian is about community, and fellowship, and outreach. But the foundation of that is a personal relationship with God. That starts with understanding that God loves us, and then we can allow Him to lead us, and I’ll leave you with one quote.
“Until you understand how God loves you, you’ll never be able to let God lead you.”
-Rich Wilkerson Jr.
Reflection
- Do you tend to exclude yourself from God’s love?
- Whatever your answer was to the above question, why? Explain.
- Do you believe that God loves you?
- Repeat to yourself, “God loves me.”
Prayer Time
Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Take the time to think about God’s love for you, think about how much He loves you and rest in that love. Talk to Him about it. He loves you so much. Just have a moment with Him.
I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 201!
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