He Is Strong: A 7-Day Journey to Finding Strength Amid Your WeaknessSample

JESUS SAVES

Jesus loves me—he who died
Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let his little child come in.

While it’s comforting to know that Jesus loves us, thinking and singing about warm fuzzy feelings isn’t enough. Those who are little and weak need more than words—they need protection from death. Anyone who has taken a young child to the ocean or the zoo or who has simply stood beside the road or a cliff knows that. The second stanza addresses the way Christ loves us, by taking action to meet our deepest needs and provide ultimate protection—washing away our sins so that we can be with God in heaven forever.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes a powerful and unexpected statement about his love: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus showed this great and perfect love for us when he died the death we deserved and bore God’s wrath so that we could live in righteousness. When we are washed clean by the blood of Christ, we aren’t just loved, we are welcomed in—into the family of God, into union with Christ, into friendship with God, into a life filled by the Spirit, and ultimately, into heaven to live with God eternally.