The good news of Jesus Christ is that you are loved.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” –Romans 5:8

Jesus loves us not because we are these incredibly loveable fur balls who deserve his love. He loves us in a much deeper profound way than that. Jesus knows we are made from dust. He knows that we can’t possibly fathom how great and worthy he is of our awe and worship. He understands that we were all born of the seed of Adam which means in our own strength we have no chance of ever being completely pure. He knows how broken and frail we are even though we put on all sorts of prideful masks and crutches of victimization. And in the midst of all of that, when he was on the cross, paving a path for us sinners to cross over from death to life, he cried out to the Father in our defense:

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. –Luke 23:34

WE NEED DAILY REMINDERS WE ARE LOVED

Most of us need daily reminders that we are loved so much. Without Gospel reminders we become jaded, cowardly, judgmental, and self-protective. And when we sway from feeling loved our ability to reflect the Light of Jesus’ love to others dims and dims and dims…

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In the Old Testament, the prophet Hosea perhaps gives us one of the clearest “demonstrations” of this Gospel Love that Jesus offers. God used Hosea and his adulterous wife Gomer to illustrate how even in the midst of Israel’s spiritual adultery, God’s love remains limitless toward his people. At one point in the incredibly heartbreaking story of Hosea (whose wife kept being unfaithful to him) Hosea cries out in pain as a representative of God’s long-suffering heart:

Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wilderness
and speak tenderly to her. –Hosea 2:14

If this does not convince you and me that no matter how much we think we don’t deserve God’s love, he loves us anyway, then I’m not sure what will. You are loved, and the whole Bible is a story to convince you and I of this cosmic fact.

RELATED POST: You Don’t Have to Prove Yourself. God Loves You. | Mark 1:10-11

OTHERS NEED DAILY REMINDERS THEY ARE LOVED

If your light has dimmed recently, doubting God’s immense love for you, then maybe its time to just believe again. Look at Hosea’s words. God wants to restore you today. Consider what Jesus said in your defense on the cross. He demonstrates how much he understands your brokenness. He wanted nothing else but to give up his own life so you could come awake from your sinful drunken slumber and see a new Day where Jesus is enough. You don’t need anything else.

The central message of the Bible is that you are loved. The Father proved it. Jesus proved it in his words and his actions. And Jesus even proved it again after he raised from the dead on the third day:

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. –Acts 1:3

LET HIM WOO YOU, AND SEE HOW YOU REFLECT HIS LIGHT INTO A DARK AND LONELY WORLD

So today, instead of doubting his love for you, maybe let Hosea’s words sink into your mind instead. You are being wooed into his presence where he wants to shower you with love. Maybe when you let him woo you into his love, the amazing power of the Gospel will take over and brighten your dim reflection of his Light. The world around you is crushed and alone without this Gospel Light.

When we let him love us, the natural outflow is to extravagantly love others:

…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. -Matthew 5:16

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

• Are you ready today to stop doubting and believe that Jesus loves you immensely? Feeling unloved can cause us to do two things: 1 ) mask our insecurity with pride or 2) hold onto a crutch that we are a victim and that our feelings are everybody else’s fault. How might the passages above free you from these traps?

• Do you let Jesus woo you daily? When is a good time of day to give him the time to woo you into his presence?

• What is one way this week you can reflect the Light of Jesus’ love to someone else who really needs it?

• Consider using this devotional study with a small group to encourage them in the power of God’s amazing love.

Please share your comments below. I read and respond to each one of them.