God Promises His Love-Part 2
Are you confident in God’s love for you?
Verse of the Day
‘But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.’
Today’s Devotional
Think about something you are sure of, something you are completely confident in. When I give myself the same assignment, my brain instantly goes to silly answers. As in, I am confident that eating Mexican food has never made me sad. Or, I am confident that laughter makes everything better. And, I am sure that I have to try harder than most people to filter my mouth.
When I stop being silly, and I ask myself if I am confident in God’s unfailing love for me personally, my answer is, “I want to be…” As in, I desperately want to be sure of God’s love.
There is a difference between knowing something conceptually and experiencing it and then believing it down to the marrow of my bones. That is my heart’s desire when reading, studying, and writing about God’s love. I want to be confident that I am loved by God. Not just in theory, but in reality.
If I want to know something on that level, it requires that I start somewhere. For this topic, it requires that I read and proclaim God’s love for me over and over until it finally clicks. It requires walking in obedience, trust, and belief before I can walk in confidence.
How confident are you in God’s love for you?
He has promised us, over and over, that he loves each of us. I’m not sure why it is so hard for us to believe. Maybe because the lies of this world are easier to believe. So then, maybe we must intentionally set out to be listening to the Word instead of the world.
Do you realize that your sin and brokenness doesn’t make God love you any less? (Ephesians 2:4-5)
Do you know that God offers you the gift of the Holy Spirit because He loves you so much? And the Holy Spirit will fill your heart with God’s love? (Romans 5:5)
Has anything ever happened to you that felt like God’s discipline? If so, that’s good news! God only disciplines the ones He loves. (Proverbs 3:11-12)
Have you ever been at the end of your patience and understanding with another person? I have. But in His goodness, God never gets to that point with you. His love for you never ends, no matter what you do. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
I wish you could see my list of verses that proclaim God’s love for you. I am nowhere near the end of the list. Our job with this promise that God loves us is to receive it. To believe it. To become confident in it. To be filled with God’s love. Because what do people do who are confident that they are loved? They love people.
Look at what Jesus did for the disciples in John 13. He washed their feet. Jesus knew that the Father loved Him. He had nothing else to prove to anyone, He only wanted to show us what love looks like in action. A person confident in God’s love for them doesn’t mind the menial tasks. He doesn’t need to promote Himself. He doesn’t doubt His mission. Even when the people He loves are going to let Him down.
I have read (in several different places recently) that one of the best practices we can do for learning to become aware of God’s love for us is to sit in silence with Him. No music. No noise. Not reading the Bible, or praying, or journaling. Just intentionally being still and quiet with God. If that sounds hard, which it is, is it worth a try?
Our job is to do whatever is necessary to be confident in God’s love for us. Then we can love others in the same way, even if they don’t receive it perfectly.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Do you truly believe that God loves you as much as the Bible says He does? How? Why?
How can you allow God to use you today to show His love to others?
What do you need to do today to become confident in God’s love for you?
Set a timer for 5 minutes. Sit in silence with God. Afterward, write a prayer telling God how that felt.