Jesus Loves MeНамуна

Loves

Today we look at the significance of what the Messiah—Jesus the Christ—did because His actions convey love’s essence. He laid down His life to pay for the sins of the world—to pay the penalty for your sins and mine. So what does it mean to say, “Jesus loves me?” What does that word “love” mean?

Jesus willingly laid down His life on the cross to rescue you from sin and from death. Now a new life is available the moment you believe in Him and receive His gift of salvation. This means you can have:

peace where anxiety would otherwise define you,

freedom from shame where guilt would define you,

freedom from sin where it would enslave you,

an identity of spiritual perfection (holiness)

adoption into the family of God instead of living alone, 

and assurance you are loved.

This means you are liked by the most important person in the room, the most important being in the universe. And this means that Jesus—who is God—proved His love for you in the most dramatic action possible: He willingly sacrificed His life to rescue you.

As you confirm your beliefs about God’s love for you, here is a prayer to help you personalize your belief that Jesus expressed His love for you when He suffered on the cross.

Dear Jesus,

I choose to receive the forgiveness You made possible when You died on the cross for me. I believe You proved Your love for me when You paid the price to rescue me. Thank You for taking my sin upon Yourself. Thank You for dying in my place. Thank You for providing the gifts of forgiveness, eternal life, and a right relationship with God. Jesus, You proved Your love for me with actions. Help me now show my love for You with my actions. Amen.

So, what is the biggest self-sacrificing action a person could make to express their love for another? Jesus answered this question. Here’s what He said: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). When Jesus made this statement, He was predicting what He would do on the cross: lay down His life for you, His friend.

Love proves itself in actions over time, and the more self-sacrificing an action is, the more sincere the love is. How do you show the people in your life that you love them?