God loves you. We have heard it a thousand times, but it’s true. He loves everyone, everywhere, all the time. Jesus put it best when He said “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16 nkjv).
Now, although it is true that God loves us as we are, He does not want to leave us that way. He wants you to turn from your sin and believe in and follow Him.
When you do this, you become one of His adopted children. He refers to us as “in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6 nkjv), meaning that we come into a special relationship with Him because of Jesus’ death for each of us and our acceptance of Him as both Savior and Lord.
God loves you more than you may realize. Now don’t rush over that. You who have trusted Christ are now the beloved of God.
Remember, when Jesus was baptized by John, God said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased…” (Matthew 3:17 nkjv). You might respond, “Yes, but that was Jesus, not me!” Listen! Here are the words of Jesus Himself:
“I have given them the glory You gave Me, so they may be one as We are one. I am in them and You are in Me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent Me and that You love them as much as You love Me.” (John 17:22–23 nlt).
It’s hard to believe God loves me that much. If it was not right there in that verse, I don’t know if I would believe it. But it is there.
The truth about the Christian—the one who is in Christ, who is adopted into God’s family and made accepted in the Beloved—is that God the Father loves him as He loved His own Son. Let that sink in. It’s an “a-ha” moment, for that is indeed an amazing thought! And a good way to start the day, don’t you think?
So have a blessed day, you who have trusted in Christ. Know that you are His dear beloved children.
