Yes, Jesus Loves Me!

Heart to Heart from the Housewrights

 

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. - John 11:1-5 (ESV)

In our morning coffee and devotions today Missy and I read one from Max Lucado that included a quote from his book The Great House of God. It says:

When a friend tells Jesus of the illness of Lazarus, he says, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” He doesn’t base his appeal on the imperfect love of the one in need, but on the perfect love of the Savior. He doesn’t say, “The one who loves you is sick.” He says, “The one you love is sick.” The power of prayer, in other words, does not depend on the one who makes the prayer, but on the one who hears the prayer…We can and must repeat the phrase in manifold ways. “The one you love is tired, sad, hungry, lonely, fearful, depressed.” The words of the prayer vary, but the response never changes. The Savior hears the prayer. He silences heaven, so he won’t miss a word. He hears the prayer.” 

- Grace for the Moment, March 21st entry.

The one You love. Those words should give us a strong assurance. Those words should bring encouragement. Those words should be life-changing and life-sustaining. The one You love.

We (the church) are always - and it’s not a bad thing - proclaiming our love for God. Our love for Jesus. Our love for his Holy Spirit. Our love for God’s people. Our love for the lost. We should love! After all, it is the supreme command of life: One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:35-40 (BSB).

But, more than our love for God or others is the fact that God loves us. “While we were yet sinners (still sinning) Christ died for us - this proves God’s love for us,” Romans 5:8. “We love because he first loved us,” I John 4:19.

“The one You love.”

God loves you. God loves us. “For God so loved the world…”

Now, what do we do with that truth? What do you do with that truth?

Well, if you are like us, you are struggling or will struggle. We all go through moments of confusion and days of darkness. We encounter seemingly unconquerable mountains and treacherous waves. We face situations where there seems to be no escape and people who simply drain us dry. We become lonely, we hurt, we cry.

Yet, these moments are fleeting. They are temporary. They do not last - although we may think they do. But, God’s love is permanent. God’s love is forever. God’s love outlasts. God’s love overcomes. God’s love cannot be stopped.

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39 NLT)

Missy and I are facing a lot of trials right now. It seems the enemy has clocked into work and has decided to work overtime! Yet, we must always remember that, circumstances being what they may be, we have One who loves us. That, our friends, is what gives us all overcoming joy and sustaining strength.

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

Little ones to him belong; they are weak, but he is strong.

Jesus loves me, he who died, heaven's gate to open wide.

He will wash away my sin, let his little child come in.

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