"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you out with kindness.”
Jeremiah 31:3b NASB
When I first laid eyes on our 6th child, our daughter, Galen Marie, I was overcome by the sweetness of her presence. She instantly had my heart from the moment I first saw her. And nothing has changed in the time since then!
The feeling I had (and still do) is that I have always loved her – even before I ever knew she would exist! I know this doesn’t make earthly sense, but when compared to the way in which God loves us, it makes perfect sense. He loved us even before the world was created. He loved us even knowing we would betray Him in our sin.
He loved us with an everlasting love even before we knew we needed that kind of love to survive! With me, there are not enough words or descriptions to convey how much I love my daughter, yet God speaks His love without a loss for words or without one little bit of wavering. His love for us is ceaseless and constant, powerful and peaceful, jealous and passionate – all at the same time…and so much more! We are each God’s favorite child…because He is God and He is able to love like that.
Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons [and daughters] through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6 NASB
Isn’t that astounding to think about…that God was thinking of us…had us in mind…before He ever even created the world?! I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to love Him all the more.
I think it’s worth reminding that God not only loves us, but He likes us…and He loves being with us! How do I know this? How do I believe it so absolutely? I have 9 children and sons-and-daughters-in-law and will soon have 13 grandchildren…and I love them all…and I like them all… and I absolutely love being with them…and I am an earthly father, so how much more does our heavenly Father love us and like us and love being with us? We have great reason to walk in joy today in spite of our circumstances. We are so very loved. Let’s live and think like we believe it!
Dennis Jernigan
Hear The Dennis Jernigan Podcast version of this teaching along with the song, Precious Child of My Love, at http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/precious-child-of-my-love/
Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/03/17/19/21/dad-2152447_1280.jpg