As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
John 15:9-11
Most of us have heard the lyrics to that 1965 hit song about love. I know, there are tons of songs out there about love, but I mean the one that talks about what the world needs right now—not money, not fame, and not even peace. Instead, what we need is love. Sweet love. After all, according to the song, “It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.”
The good news is, as believers, you and I know the source of love—all love—is Our God. God doesn’t just love; He is love. More specifically, the God who is love both feels and expresses that love toward you. God loves you.
But the question for you today is this: Do you believe it? Do you, deep down, believe Jesus loves you?
I know the default answer is most likely yes. People within the church feel obligated to respond, “Yes, I believe God loves me.” But saying something and knowing something are two very different things. And right now I’m asking whether you know, really know and believe at the core of who you are that the God of all creation loves you.
Sitting in a hospital room with my dad late in his life, I was floored when he told me that nobody in his life had ever loved him, and he didn’t believe God could love him either. Those were the words of someone abandoned by his parents at an early age, someone who struggled to overcome the mountain of self-doubt all his life. Maybe that’s where you are today, and it’s hard to accept the fact that God cares about you, much less loves you.
If so, I need you to hear me and trust me, because what you need right now is love. God’s love. No matter what circumstances have surrounded you, and no matter your opinion of yourself, it’s important that you see Jesus went to great pains to show His love for you.
Look back to the Last Supper and you’ll see Jesus made a promise to His followers: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.” That’s an incredible statement, one you can’t just let pass by. It needs to be front and center in your world every single day, starting today! The same love that existed between each person of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit—also exists between God and you.
What that 1965 song proclaims is true: we all need love. Fortunately, the One you’re at the table with is love. And even in this moment, He is extending that love to you.
Hear more encouragement from Louie Giglio this Tuesday on LIFE TODAY. Excerpted from At The Table With Jesus by Louie Giglio. Copyright ©2021 Louie Giglio. Used by permission of W Publishing, an imprint of Thomas Nelson.
