Does God Love Me? @
Many people do not FEEL the Love of God?
In other words, they don’t experience the Love of God, most likely because they misunderstand the Love of God.
Isaiah 55:8-12 (KJV)
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens
are higher than the earth,
so are my ways
higher than your ways,
and my thoughts
than your thoughts.
Therefore, in order to know God’s Love, we need to understand exactly what it is, and what it is not.
Many want to make God’s Love into a reflection of man’s love, which is feeble, selfish, unreliable, untrustworthy, and often downright evil. God’s Love is none of these things.
God’s love often includes discipline, and even punishment. Just as a good father trains up a child in the way he should go, so is God training and raising up His Children in the way they should go.
But that does not always feel good at the time of the training, but later it will produce a tree bearing the fruit of righteousness.
In fact, from time to time, God’s Pruning Process feels downright unpleasant, even painful, and excruciating at times–Just ask Jesus about that.
Hebrews 12:1-15 (KJV)
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards [orphans], and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous,
but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable
fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
As you can see God’s Love has a specific purpose and an eternally valid direction. So even though we may misunderstand God’s love from time to time, if you endure to the end, you will not regret the labor and sacrifices you have made to get there–His Word is your eternal guarantee.
As I review many videos like the one above, I begin to realize how deep and how dark the sin of the world has become the sin of our nation.
I would dare to say, that possibly more than 99 out of 100 people interviewed by Ray Comfort, openly admit that they are:
- lying
- theiving
- blaspheming
- adulterers and fornicating people
- that are self-righteous thinking themselves to “morally good” people
But it is clear they are not even close.
And yes, I thought the same about myself at one time, thinking I was a good person and deserved to go to heaven.
It wasn’t until the bad news of the Gospel penetrated my heart, my conscience, and my reality, that I began to see myself and my life in a different light, and then I began to seek God, repent of my sins, and ask forgiveness, and put my only hope in the Salvation of the Messiah to save me from the Wrath of God, that I totally deserved, but Jesus offered me a way out.