John 1:11-13 (ESV)
“…to all who did receive Jesus, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Wow! Did you just read what I did? Jesus has given you the right to become a child of God! If this isn’t good news, I don’t know what is. You are no longer a stranger. You are no longer without a family. You belong to God!
Think about that. God wanted you in his family so much, He sent his Son to die for you. Maybe you’re thinking, “Why would God do that?” It can’t be because He needs us. God is all-sufficient. He doesn’t need our love or our worship. So why?
In 1 John 4:9-10 it says, “…God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”
God sent his Son to die because God IS love. It is his very nature. God went to every length possible to bring us back into his family. Do you realize what this means? We don’t have to earn God’s love. We don’t have to earn God’s forgiveness.
Many Christians spend their whole lives feeling like failures because they aren’t good enough. Guess what? We will never be good enough to earn God’s love. That is exactly why God sent his Son.
Do you think He would have made his only Son go through all that pain and suffering if we could earn forgiveness on our own? Jesus died for you before you ever did a bad thing in your life. He doesn’t care what you have done. He died for every sin you will ever commit.
God is so good. He gave us the easy part. All we have to do is trust in Jesus and what he did for us.
We say, “I believe that Jesus loved me and died for me. I believe that I am now a child of God. I don’t have to earn God’s love or forgiveness. I am no longer a child of this world. I am a child of the Creator of the universe and He loves me!”
This should really change our perspective on life. A child doesn’t earn love. Parents love their children because they ARE their children, and God’s love is so much greater than the love of any earthly parent. When we mess up, God doesn’t discount us. He never leaves us nor gives up on us.
Because of God’s grace, when we mess up, we can get back up and try again. When the world says we will never be good enough, we say, “I am a child of God, and I am loved.”
Only out of knowing how much God loves us can we truly start to love others. Only when we realize how completely God has forgiven us can we start to forgive ourselves and others. It all starts with God’s love for us.
With so much negativity and noise in the world, we sometimes lose sight of God’s love and grace for us. This is why we need to remind ourselves of God’s Word daily. Meditate on these verses. Remind yourself every day, “I am a child of God. I am loved.”
Pray This Prayer
Dear Father,
Thank you for loving me so much that you crossed between heaven and earth to save me. I believe in the power of Jesus’ name and his sacrifice. Thank you for saving me so that I can live without condemnation. I can love because you love me unconditionally.
You never leave me. You never turn me away. I believe your Word above all else. I will stand in the knowledge of your love for me and not fear the world or any man. I will keep my eyes set on you. Your love keeps me safe and whole.
I don’t need anything else in this world to fulfill me. Your love is sufficient. Thank you for being a good father.
In the power of your Son’s name, Jesus,
Amen.