Do you have any idea how much God loves you? Do you? I mean, really? If truth be known, I bet we don’t always think about this too much. Sure, we know God sacrificed His own son to show us the depth of His love, however, the sheer magnitude of this love sometimes escapes us. For me, at least, it’s just plain difficult to imagine a love that powerful.
God’s love is a powerful, tenacious love–a love you can count on, delight in, draw comfort from, and bask in, and I believe God desires nothing more for us than to know and experience this love. His word says the following:
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17
“But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” – Psalm 86:15
Yes, indeed. God loves you and me today. Every day. Remind yourself of that!
The late Brennan Manning was an author, public speaker, and a former Franciscan priest–most known for one of his books titled, “The Ragamuffin Gospel”. Some refer to him as one who was “rough around the edges” . . . hmmmm–aren’t we all? In his vulnerability, he made no mistake about his love for Jesus and the grace God bestowed upon him. I have often been moved by the transparency and conviction of many of his words.
So, I leave you with a snippet of his encouraging thoughts to ponder as you move through your days this week!
“If Jesus appeared at your dining room table tonight with knowledge of everything you are and are not, total comprehension of your life story and every skeleton hidden in your closet; if He laid out the real state of your present discipleship with the hidden agenda, the mixed motives, and the dark desires buried in your psyche, you would feel His acceptance and forgiveness; For experiencing God’s love in Jesus Christ means experiencing that one has been unreservedly accepted, approved and infinitely loved, that one can and should accept oneself and one’s neighbor.”
— Brennan Manning
