God With UsSample

The Gospel according to Mark 

GOD IS WITH US TO LOVE US

Love is the most overused word in the English language. If you don’t believe it, just type in the word love on your browser and see the number of results that pop up. It was mentioned that one of the commonly asked questions to voice activated helpers on smartphones in the recent past was “Do you love me?”.

That’s a cry for help, no doubt. 

When Jesus came to earth His express intention was to demonstrate His great love towards mankind. He had always loved His people but somehow His people couldn’t keep their eyes focussed on only Him. As a result, they veered off course repeatedly, forsaking this loving God and leaving themselves open to His righteous anger and punishment. God, in His great love, never abandoned them for ever nor did He wash His hands of them in apathy but He again forgave them and gathered them to himself. What great love! 

So deep, so incomprehensible, so lavish and so incomparable. It was this love, that caused Him to send His only son to earth to become one of us so that we could experience God on a whole new level. 

What does it mean for us then? Every one of us longs and yearns to be loved, without exception. The great news of the gospel is that God loves you as if you were the only one in the world. He loves you as you are: messiness, baggage, history, and all. You don’t need filters or editing done when you are with him. He loves you so much that he sent his Son for you so that you are never alone and never forgotten. He loves you with every fibre of His being and His love for you doesn’t depend on what you do or how you behave. Isn’t that a relief? 

The broken world we live in has twisted love into so many things that we often are unable to accept God’s love for us. We look at it sometimes with cynicism or suspicion. The simple fact of the matter is this: that Christ loves us so much that while we were still sinners He died for us and it doesn’t stop there. He adopts us into his family and we are now called children of God. What an honour! We are no longer labelled as Alone, Unwanted, Incapable, Unworthy, Damaged or Complicated. You are now called a “Child of God”.  

Take a moment to let that sink in. 

Speak that title over yourself until it sinks in deeply. 

So as we live in times of social distancing and isolation we no longer need feel unloved or alone or abandoned. We are loved, known, and cherished by God, thanks to Jesus who is our go-between. Christ’s life, death, and resurrection closed the gap once and for all between God and man so that we are no longer distant from Him and so that we stop doubting just how loved we are.

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for your great love towards me. I cannot understand its depths or heights but I know that it’s real and powerful. I surrender myself to your love so that it removes all insecurity and fear and helps me live in peace and security. I accept you as my father as I am your child.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.