Does God Still Love You?
- Locked due to inactivity on May 13, '22 3:54am
Thread Topic: Does God Still Love You?
-
There was a rich man with two sons.
Born with many riches, the two sons were treated well in their father’s house. They were fed with more food then they could count, and they pretty much had anything they wanted. Their father was also very kind, and he gave his sons whatever they asked him for. They even had their own servants to watch over the sons and make sure they were safe. All the father asked from his sons was that they help him out in the mansion, making sure that all the servants were treated well.
One day, the father said to them, “Behold, I have given you many riches, and I will bless you with this. When you become older, I will give you a great inheritance, so you can go out in the world and be successful.” The sons rejoiced when they found out.
However, one of the sons said, “Father, give me my inheritance now.”
So the father, thinking his son was unwise, gave his son the inheritance.
When he received the blessing, the son went away from the house and used the money for whatever he wanted. And I will tell you, he wasted it completely. He bought all the latest things. He partied every night and drank. He hung out with people that he knew his father would never approve of. He bought the latest, fastest car out there. He blew up his money left and right. Every morning, when he woke up, he thought: I’m young, I’m rich. I’m the luckiest man alive. This is the best life can throw at me.
However, a famine came to the land, and the son’s money was running out. Soon, he lost the ability to pay for basic things like food, drink, and most importantly, a house. He ended up getting the worst job there was just to get money. When he turned to his so-called friends for help, they abandoned him because he had no money. They liked him when he was rich. But now he had the worst job in the whole world. The thought of food made his mouth water, and even the trash in the dumpster seemed good enough to eat. He was no longer the guy who drove in a Tesla, he was now the guy sitting on the streets, begging people to help him. How far he had fallen.
But then one day, he couldn’t take it anymore. At his job, he said to himself, “My father’s servants have too much food, and now I sit here with too little!” His thoughts were becoming louder. “I will go to my father, and say to him, ‘Dad, I sinned against God and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Let me work for you as a servant.” And he arose and walked to his father’s house.
The whole way, the son was afraid of his father’s wrath. What will he do when he finds out what I have done? The son wondered. However, the thought of residing in the house even as a servant kept him going. As he walked on the broken sidewalk, the cars passed by, which reminded the son of the days when he would pass by the poor people and laugh at them. He regretted it now. He knew how the poor people felt.
When he was still a long way off, he could already just see the silhouette of his father. He stiffened, but the father came running to him with arms stretched wide. He embraced his son and wept. “My son,” the father said, tears falling on the son’s dirty arms. “I’ve missed you. Come on inside, and we will have a feast! I can’t believe my son has finally come home!” He arose from his knees and guided his son to the house. He went on and on about what he would do for his son.
But the son said, “No, father. I’ve sinned against God and against you. I am not worthy to be called your son.” But the father wasn’t listening. He picked up his phone and spoke to many people, inviting them to come to the party.
“Bring out the best clothes and put them on him!” The father said over the phone to one of his servants. “Put the fanciest jewelry there is on him. Adorn him with our best. And make his favorite meal: chicken tacos with chips and guacamole. Let us eat and rejoice: for this son was lost, but he has been found at last.” He hung up.
“Wait…why are you doing this?” The son asked the father. “Why would you choose to celebrate me? Do you know what I have done? I have done nothing worthy for this honor. How are you not angry and disappointed with me?”
The father put down the phone and looked at his son. “Son, why would I be mad? My love for you is greater than anything you could ever do. You were lost, now you are found. You were dead, now you are alive. You have finally come home, and that is something that is worth more than money. You are worthy of honor. You did nothing to deserve praise, but because I love you, I’m going to celebrate. Because I lost you, but I have found you at last. Come, let’s go inside and be glad.”
You may be wondering: Why is she telling me a story about a son? This story represents so much. It is found in Luke 15:11-24. I wanted to share this story with you (and add some of my own touches!) because it has so much symbolism.
We are the son, who is called the Prodigal Son. When we sin, we run away from the house of God and we feel like we are not worthy to be called His son or daughter. But this is simply just not true. That is a lie from the enemy and we have to remember that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
The Bible says in Romans: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Two thousand years ago, God sent His Son to come and die for us. His name was Jesus, and He died on the cross for your sins. He already knew you were going to sin, but God loved you so much that He gave His Son to us. He knew what was going to happen. But He loves you.
For those of you thinking, Yeah, right. I cannot put into words what God’s love for you is, because it’s so big. The human language is so limited, that I cannot tell you about how amazing His love is for you. But Scripture tells us:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).
“The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you” (Jeremiah 31:3).
“As the Father loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love” (John 15:9).
No matter what you have done, God loves you. No matter what you said, did, or thought, God still loves you. You could have done the most wicked sin there is, and God would still love you, because it is an everlasting love, not a love that fades away.
God loves you more than anything. We are His prized possessions. He loves you, and if you follow Him and read the Bible, you will learn a lot more about His love for you. However, you will never be able to know it all, since His love for you is so massive that it cannot be fathomed. Stop doubting that. Stop trying to win His love. Stop believing that you aren’t worthy. You. Are. Worthy.
I don’t care if other people haven’t shown love to you. God is not human. He loves you even at your worst. Come what may, God is on fire for you. He loves you more than you can imagine. If you don’t believe me, just look at Scripture.
Let the truth sink in. You. Are. Loved.
Look at these verses in whatever version you want, but if you haven’t read the Bible before, my personal favorite is the New King James Version. But another great version would be the Amplified Bible because it explains it better. But whatever version you use, you will find signs of God’s love in these verses:
John 3:16-17
Romans 5:8
Isaiah 54:10
1 John 3:1
Zephaniah 3:17
Isaiah 43:1
Ephesians 2:4-5
Jeremiah 29:11
Romans 8:35-39
Isaiah 41:10
John 17:26
Psalm 36:7
Romans 5:5
John 16:27
Lamentations 3:22-23
Isa -
saiah 41:13
Romans 8:28
2 Thessalonians 3:5
John 15:9
Psalm 147:3
Psalm 136
He loves you. Never doubt that. He has called you by your name, and you are His. You don’t need to try to earn His love, for it cannot be earned or lost. He loves you forever. And He can’t wait to meet you up in heaven.
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. (Psalm 107:1) -
Very awesome and great verses!
-
Nice verses! Thanks for the reminder 💛
This thread is locked, therefore no new posts can be made.
