Sadly we live in a world in which many people don\u2019t feel loved. Some children don\u2019t have parents who love them.\u00a0 Some people are caught up in loveless marriages.\u00a0 And then there are those who are simply alone.\u00a0 Even people who are blessed with good relationships occasionally can feel lonely and unloved.\u00a0 As a result, many people yearn to understand what it means to be loved by God.<\/p>\n
Jesus tried to explain God\u2019s love for us in ways that we might understand. I often think about the parable of the prodigal son in this regard (Luke 15: 11-32).\u00a0 In that story, the son does just about everything wrong.\u00a0 He asks for his inheritance before his father has even died.\u00a0 He then squanders his inheritance and becomes destitute.\u00a0 He has blown it.\u00a0 So when he eventually returns home to his father, he merely hopes to be hired as one of his father\u2019s servants.\u00a0 His father should be angry with him.\u00a0 However, the father’s reaction to his son’s return is just the opposite.\u00a0 He is so relieved to see his son again.\u00a0 He celebrates and welcomes him home with open arms.<\/p>\n
That is the perfect depiction of God\u2019s love for us. We can do stupid things.\u00a0 We can mess up in every way imaginable.\u00a0 And yet, if we return to God, He will be so happy to have us back.\u00a0 He loves us without restriction.\u00a0 We may reject God, but He will never<\/em> reject us.<\/p>\n In the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15: 1-7) and in the parable of the lost coin (Luke 15: 8-10), Jesus offers another message about God\u2019s love for us. In both parables, an owner is searching for something precious that he or she has lost.\u00a0 Interestingly, in both stories, what is lost is not unique.\u00a0 In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd has 100 sheep and one is lost.\u00a0 In the parable of the lost coin, the woman has 10 drachma coins, but simply cannot find one of them.<\/p>\n Jesus\u2019 message in both parables is clear: You are precious to God. Yes, our earth is inhabited by approximately 7.2 billion people.\u00a0 But in God\u2019s eyes, you<\/em> are important.\u00a0 You aren\u2019t one person in a sea of people.\u00a0 You alone are precious in His sight.\u00a0 You matter to God.<\/p>\n God tries to show us His love in a multitude of ways. One way he does so is by placing special people in our path in order to bless us.\u00a0 My daughter has a teacher who God has put in her life.\u00a0 For the past two years, this teacher has taken a special interest in my daughter.\u00a0 She has encouraged my daughter, and because of this teacher my daughter has achieved things that she would not have otherwise.\u00a0 In my own life, I have had people who were placed there by God.\u00a0 They helped and encouraged me at just the right times.<\/p>\n Whenever we face a significant hardship or challenge, God shows His love for us by being there with us. He doesn\u2019t necessarily take away our problems.\u00a0 Instead, he gives us the courage to face them.\u00a0 Each time I have faced challenges, God has blessed me with the strength overcome them.\u00a0 He has given me wisdom and clarity when I needed it.\u00a0 And when I have followed His will, He has transformed my challenges into blessings.<\/p>\n God loves us in small ways as well. Sometimes when I look out my office window, and I will see a bright red cardinal or two deer. \u00a0God is blessing me in those moments.\u00a0 His blessings are all around us.\u00a0 We simply have to pay attention.<\/p>\n This week, meditate on God\u2019s love for you. Know that you are never alone, and that you are never unloved.<\/em> God loves you.\u00a0 He wants you to have a beautiful life.\u00a0 He has given you the Bible to guide you as you go through your days. And He will place special people on your path in order to bless you.\u00a0 You matter to Him.\u00a0 You are loved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sadly we live in a world in which many people don\u2019t feel loved. Some children don\u2019t have parents who love them.\u00a0 Some people are caught up in loveless marriages.\u00a0 And then there are those who are simply alone.\u00a0 Even people who are blessed with good relationships occasionally can feel lonely and unloved.\u00a0 As a result,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n