As humans we are often prone to wonder..............how valuable am I? Does anyone care about me? If I was to die tonight, would anyone care? Sometimes we simply feel that we are unloved, unimportant and not at all significant in the grand scheme of things.

What a lie that is!!

The Bible lays out for us a very clear position of how God views you and what His attitude is towards you..............prepare for a surprise.

Howeve before I begin, I want to ask you a question.................what exactly is love? The Bible also has the answer to this question and that is where we shall begin. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 it describes love saying that "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away."

Sometimes things happen in our lives and we are tempted to blame God for them. For example we might make a bad financial decision which leads us through many years of poverty. In this place we can be tempted to blame God and cry out "Surely God could have stopped this from happening." ....True.... however if He did stop you everytime you chose to do something that wasn't perfect that would not be the kind of love described in the passage above.

Think for a minute about communist China. This country controls everyones lives because they think that by doing so it will work out best for everyone. There is no love in this. When there is control, there can be no love. Ordinary Chinese citizens are under no illusion that their government loves them. Control and love are opposites, and the passage above says exactly this when it says that love "is not self-seeking." True love will always let another person make their own decisions and choices ever if sometimes they are the wrong ones. Communism is an example of a "higher power" forcing what it thinks is best on its subjects, and God is not like this.

God could step in tomorrow and intervene in the world preventing all evil and forcing everyone to obey Him and do the right thing. He could order everything and it would work perfectly....................but there would be no love in that, we would instead be robots. It would not be utopia, it would instead by barren. True love allows freedom. God wants a perfect world too, but he wants His love to captivate our hearts so that we choose to do things his was rather than being forced into doing them.

So we must firstly put aside the idea that if things go wrong it is God's fault...............no, we are to blame for our own mistakes and sins. These are not God's fault.

The next issue we will analyse is the idea that.............if things are not working out for me then God does not love me. This is also a false idea. We all know that there are many famous people in the Bible who lived for God and served God with their lives. Examples would be Moses, Joseph, Abraham, David, John the Baptist and Jesus of course. Did God love these people?

Of course.

However we have to ask ourselves, if God really loved these people why did they face such a rough time during the course of their lives. Moses led God's people for 40 years but was banned from entering Canaan. Joseph was sold into slavery. Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his own son. David was chased by enemies for many years and nearly killed on many occasions. John the Baptist was beheaded and Jesus was crucified. How could God love these people and allow these things to happen to them? The truth is, it was because of love that He allowed these things to happen to them.

When a human being pushes through something even though it is hard, he or she learns character. When we react considerately even though we are not being treated considerately by others we show Christlike behaviour. The answer to the above issue is that God wants us to change and because of His love he allows things to happen to us so that we might develop and become a better person.

It would definitely not be love to leave your son, daughter or loved one with a toothache........you would arrange for them to suffer for a short while at the hands of the dentist so that a better outcome occurs. Its the same with God.........he sometimes allows suffering to take place in us, but this suffering is actually for our betterment. So instead of wondering why everything is going wrong, or why we think it is going wrong, we can in fact be grateful that God does love us enought to involve Himself in our lives for our betterment.

Let me share with you 10 scriptures (amongst many) to show that God does love you:

1. Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed , yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed ," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:9-11 (in Context) Isaiah 54 (Whole Chapter)

2. Romans 8:32
He who did not spare his own Son , but gave him up for us all. How will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:31-33 (in Context) Romans 8 (Whole Chapter)

3. Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23:5-7 (in Context) Psalm 23 (Whole Chapter)

4. Psalm 103:17
But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children-
Psalm 103:16-18 (in Context) Psalm 103 (Whole Chapter)

5. Psalm 108:4
For great is your love , higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Psalm 108:3-5 (in Context) Psalm 108 (Whole Chapter)

6. Joel 2:13
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love , and he relents from sending calamity.
Joel 2:12-14 (in Context) Joel 2 (Whole Chapter)

7. John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (as Jesus did for us)
John 15:12-14 (in Context) John 15 (Whole Chapter)

8. Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:7-9 (in Context) Romans 5 (Whole Chapter)

9. Romans 8:28
[ More Than Conquerors ] And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, [ Some manuscripts And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God] who [ Or works together with those who love him to bring about what is good with those who] have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:27-29 (in Context) Romans 8 (Whole Chapter)

10. Romans 8:39
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-40 (in Context) Romans 8 (Whole Chapter)

If you were to do a search on Bible Gateway, you would find many many more biblical verses that remind of us God's great love towards us.

No matter what happens in your life, no matter who your friends, relatives and family are........or even if you are all alone; No matter if you have a miserable job or a happy one or if you are poor or rich; No matter if no-one understands you and you you feel as though life is not worth living; No matter if your wife or husband has been unfaithful or you have been unfaithful to them............in any and every situation, GOD LOVES YOU.

Let me close with the words of a famous hymn called "The Love of God" by Frederick Martin Lehman (the third verse is the best)

The Love of God

(1) The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin.

CHORUS:

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall for evermore endure
The saints' and angels' song.

(2) When years of time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God's love so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam's race-The saints' and angels' song.

(3) Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.

So does God love you?

You bet He does...........more than anything in the whole world!

If you have questions, please email me, and if you want to receive regular scriptural encouragments, don't hesistate to join the mailing list.