My friends,
There is one simple truth in Scripture that can change everything about our world. But we often fail to take it seriously.
Consider the words of John:
“This is love: it is not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as the sacrifice that deals with our sins” (1 John 4:10, Common English Bible (CEB)).
My friend, you are loved.
Take a moment to breathe deeply and concentrate on that thought. Say it to yourself, “I am loved.”
As you live in that moment, what do you feel? What do you understand? Does it affect your sense of self at all?
For me, this is an important reminder, because I spent so much of my life worrying about doing or saying the wrong thing and falling out of favor with God. I still struggle with this. For me, it’s easy to accept that God loves everyone else, but I have a hard time accepting that that same love applies to me.
I once heard a preacher say, “Yes, God loves you, but there’s still 99 per cent of the Bible left to preach.”
But he was wrong.
God’s love for humanity is the central theme of Scripture. God’s reconciling love is 99 per cent of the Bible.
Try with me to understand that each of us is loved more than we can even imagine. Each of us is cared for.
As it also says in Scripture, “Aren’t two sparrows sold for a small coin? But not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father knowing about it already. Even the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31, CEB).
Listen to me. You don’t have to be afraid.
My friend, you are loved.
If you only ever remember this one lesson, you have succeeded.
But don’t stop there. Let God’s love for you flow through you and outward into the world, so that you can remind others that they, too, are loved.
I’ll leave you with some more words from Scripture,
“The commandments, ‘Don’t commit adultery, don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t desire what others have,’ and any other commandments, are all summed up in one word: You must love your neighbor as yourself. Love doesn’t do anything wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is what fulfills the Law” (Romans 13:9, 10, CEB).
Now take a moment and meditate on the God of love that lives in your heart, that cares for you more than the sparrows, that knows every hair on your head. Whether you are capable of accepting it or not (like me), you are deeply, inconceivably, wonderfully loved.
That is the God that I serve. That is the simple truth that can change the world.
Coffee & Theology 