I’ve come to realize that a lot of people believe God loves them. It’s actually not that hard to believe. But the deeper question isn’t just IF God loves you, but WHY He loves you. See- what’s more difficult, and impossible apart from faith is believing there isn’t a reason attached to His love.
What I mean is that many of us don’t struggle to believe God loves us when we’re doing good. When we’re reading our Bibles, when we’re praying, when we’re going to church, when we’re serving, when we’re being generous. It doesn’t take faith to believe God loves you when you’re… loveable. What about when your Bible has collected dust on the shelf or when you can’t remember the last time you prayed? What about when you indulge in sin or when you run from God? Does He still love you? Have His feelings about you changed?
The Gospel isn’t good news that God loves cleaned up versions of ourselves. It’s so much better than that. The other night, I asked my 6-year old daughter who loves her more than anyone in the world. She smiled and said, God. And then I pressed in a little more and asked, but why does He love you? She thought for a moment and said… HE JUST DOES! What a perfect answer! Stripped from our logic to try to explain His love or attach it to something we’ve accomplished. Why does God love us? He just does. It’s not contingent on our goodness OR at risk with our badness.
This is what God says in Deuteronomy 7, “It is NOT because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set His love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loves you.” God’s telling His people that He doesn’t have a reason attached to His love. It wasn’t because they were big or small. And He says the reason He loves them is just BECAUSE HE LOVES THEM.
Truly unconditional love.
a pastor devotional by Austin Edwards on MyBridge Radio