There’s nothing like starting my morning with a sweet, older gentleman reading the Bible to me.
I’ve been struggling to be consistent with my study of the Bible because my schedule’s crazy, and I’m bleary-eyed at 6:30 am when everything’s quiet, and the new day is starting. But thanks to the YouVersion on my Kindle, I can have this nice man read to me as I follow along. It’s great!
This morning I ventured to check out some of the other reading plans YouVersion has available, and I found one from a popular guy who’s name I keep hearing, so I read through his devotional.
Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m not a teacher, and that I have a lot to learn, AND that I’m messed up and broken, so when I read this guy telling me that I am nothing and wrong to be even thinking, “Wow, God loves me!”, my first thought was, “Yeah, I got that a long time ago.”
I’ve lived half of my life thinking that I don’t matter, and that I’m not important, so of course, I marvel at the wonder of God’s love for me.
But this guy seemed to be saying that it’s wrong to be focused on how God loves even me. His devotional pushed that concept into a negative realm because it is “me” centered, and not “God” centered.
He asked what we’d think if we spent an afternoon with Jesus. Would our thoughts be all “He loves me!” or would we be so concentrated on him that we realized that it’s not about us. It’s only about him.
I understand that thought. (I read “A Purpose Driven Life.) I know it’s not about me. But I do think it’s a big deal that he loves me.
Being loved gives us strength. It helps us grow and become who we’re meant to be. It is the love of God that completes us, and that’s no little thing to be dismissed or frowned upon because it seems selfish.
When I look at Jesus’ life, I see that God looked into people. He cared about them. . .not because he had to, not because they were extraordinary, but because he wanted them to be more than devoted servants or faceless subjects. He wanted them to be his brothers and sisters. God’s adopted children.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (I John 3:1)
He loves us, and that makes us special.
And if I were to spend an afternoon with Jesus, I imagine it would be hard to look him in the eye, but he would look at me. He would see me. He would be his wonderful, amazing, incredible self, and he would really be present with me, and I would feel totally unworthy.
But being unworthy doesn’t mean I’m worthless.
It is an amazing thing that we are called his children, that he calls us by name. We are nothing, but something to him. We are guilty of all kinds of stuff, but to him we are forgiven.We are completely unworthy of all that he has done, but still he lavishes us with love.
Our value is wrapped up in his love. It is no little thing that God loves us.
I loved this! Our pastor was talking about the same thing… we just can’t get over sometimes feeling so unworthy, but God just loves us! I needed to hear this today my dear friend. Love you MB!