[Friday's Devotional] - God's Love

"God loves you".  Three simple words, but with so much meaning:

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God….God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear."

John 4:10, 15-18a [NIV]

Dr. Karl Barth was one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century.  A reporter once asked Dr. Barth what was the greatest thing he had ever learned.  Dr. Barth thought for a moment and then said:

"Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

These words come from a (very simple) Christian song:

"Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! This I know,
As He loved so long ago,
Taking children on His knee,
Saying, "Let them come to Me."

Jesus loves me still today,
Walking with me on my way,
Wanting as a friend to give
Light and love to all who live.

Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven's gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.

Jesus loves me! He will stay
Close beside me all the way;
Thou hast bled and died for me,
I will henceforth live for Thee."

Simple words, but with so much depth.

We can never go beyond God's love, everything starts from God loving us and we can never exhaust His love. The very fact of knowing God's love, really experiencing it in the depth of our beings, brings us into being more the people we were always meant to be in layers of forgiveness, acceptance, purpose, truth, meaning, power and hope

Tim Norman