This article was written by Melissa Hendrickson, an INCM Blog Team Member and Spiritual Director.
“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 ….”
How many times have we sung this song? And yet, I wonder today, do you know that Jesus loves you?
Don’t brush past this.
Sit for a minute with this question – Do I know that Jesus loves me?
I’m not talking about what you do for him. I’m not talking about the way you show up faithfully over and over again. I’m not talking about the sermon you wrote, or the snacks you bought, or the sporting events you attended. I’m not talking about hospital visits or meal trains. I’m not talking about Vacation Bible School, Fall Festivals, or Christmas plays.
I’m talking about deep in your core, do you know that you are beloved? Do you know that you are a son or daughter of the most high King? Do you know that when God looks at you, he smiles? He is delighted by you!
Sure, your partnership with God in all of the good work you do is beautiful and makes a difference even when no one mentions it, even when no one notices it. But God’s love for you is not dependent upon the work you do for him.
The work you do will never, not for one minute, change how much God loves you. It can’t.
God’s love for you is unchanging. Unflappable. Unshakeable. Forever faithful and true.
God’s love for you is not and never will be, about the work you do. It will always be about who he is and the way that he comes looking for you. His love will never, not for one minute, waver. It is more steadfast than we can ever imagine.
Devotional
Think about these words Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:16-19 (CSB):
“I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with the fullness of God.”
Reread this prayer from Paul and think about these questions:
- What do you notice as you read these words?
- What is the Holy Spirit inviting you to pay attention to?
- What is happening in your mind as you read this passage?
- What is happening in your body as you read this passage?
Encouragement
I pray that as you move toward Easter, toward resurrection, you will hold tightly to the truth that God loves you. He is delighted by you. There is nothing you can think, feel, or do to make God love you more or less. His love for you has always been unconditional and everlasting.
I pray, as Paul prayed, that being rooted and firmly established in love, we will comprehend the length and width, height and depth of God’s love for us, today and always, and may we share that love with abundance all of our days.
About Melissa
Melissa Hendrickson holds a degree in Pastoral Christian Ministry and cares deeply about spiritual formation at every stage of development. She is certified as a leadership coach through the International Network of Children’s Ministry and as a spiritual director through The Sabbath Life School of Spiritual Direction. Melissa is the creator of Holy Formed and desires to walk alongside people as they tell their stories, encounter Jesus, and live flourishing lives. Melissa is married with two sons, and in her free time, she loves to curl up with a good book and a cup of rooibos tea.
