Pastor John D Jakes

Pastor, author, husband, father (the roles keep switching day by day)

Do You Live in the Love of God? (question 4)

Our final question that checks the reality of our faith is a different type of question.  The first questions all dealt with our attitudes and values: Is Heaven your home? Do you want godliness or painlessness from God? Are you willing to look childish to become childlike?  The last question is something about God.  The question is simple, but is also essential to develop God trusting faith: Does God love you or not? 

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

Romans 8:31

Why is this question so important?  Isn’t it an, “of course He does!” type of question?  Not really.  What we truly believe about that question changes what we do.  It changed the apostle Paul.  The fact of God’s love in Jesus gave Paul confidence.  It gave him the confidence to stand before kings and religious leaders.  It gave him the confidence to stand before a Christian community that at first questioned his motives. The reality of the love of God for him gave a murdering sinner like him supreme and unshakable confidence as he stood before God!  Imagine that… You can see yourself in all your sin and know that God’s love invites you into His presence.  You can call yourself the chief of sinners and still know that you are forgiven.

Do you and I have that confidence?  Do we face each day knowing that God’s love for us does not fade or spoil or stop?  Do we know it because of what Jesus has done for us?  Read Paul’s analysis of God’s love again in Romans 8.  He declares that God is for us.  He then asks who can be against us.

There could be many reasons that we struggle believing in the depth of God’s love.  Bad treatment by humans we are supposed to trust, our own sense of self doubt or self condemnation, or past moral or ethical failures can all contribute to a shaky view of His love. Yet throughout his letters, the apostle Paul keeps coming back to an unshakeable fact: God sent His Son to die for us.  He would not send His Son to die for us unless He has an unchangeable love.  God is certain: He loves you.  Are you as certain?

Something to think about,

Pastor John

Pastor John

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3 responses to “Do You Live in the Love of God? (question 4)”

  1. Annette Reeves Avatar
    Annette Reeves

    Dear Pastor John,

    These series of questions that you have asked have been very thought-provoking. As you have led me and taught me to live a life of faith instead of sight, I am constantly seeking out God in His Word, praying, and being open to when He is trying to tell me something. This happened last night. I was overcome with hurting when I was in the kitchen. I quietly cried, trying to keep others from hearing, but the wracking sobs kept coming. (I was so glad Melody was playing the piano in the other room.) I cried out to God to help me. Immediately after my prayer, my phone started playing music in my pocket! It was the weirdest thing. My 107.1 music app started playing on its own, and the song it played reminded me that I’m living here for Jesus. All of my life is to point to Him. After that, I let my phone keep playing, and praise song after praise song reminded me that my focus needed to be on Jesus instead of my pain. It was amazing how changing my focus like that really helped me to dry my tears and get my eyes off the world around me and back to where they should be looking. However, even more than that, though, I was overcome with gratefulness for the love that God showed me by responding to my prayer right away like that and comforting me. He didn’t just leave me to wallow in that pain crying out to Him. He came and rescued me and comforted me.

    In this series (part 1), you say that living by sight, is the ‘difference between living by what we have been told in the pages of God’s Word instead of what the world around us is demanding that we must believe all the time’. I’m actually thankful right now with all the political stuff in the world going on that I don’t have access to TV. I know I miss out on a lot of stuff in the world because of that, but it sure is helpful not to have the demands of the world constantly before my eyes. Instead, since my own problems are enough, I can turn my focus on God’s provision through His Word. So, yes, I can look towards heaven as my home, as you mention in this first question.

    I have run out of time, but I will come back to this and will send you parts 2, 3, and 4 later. Thank you for these questions and thoughts.

    Thank you & blessings!

    Annette

    Reply
    1. Pastor John Avatar
      Pastor John

      Annette,
      It is wonderful when God answers us right away. I love how you testify that as you focus on Jesus, He gives you the tools or the strength to handle whatever struggle you face. This is something deep to meditate upon. Thank you for sharing this!

      Reply
  2. Annette Reeves Avatar
    Annette Reeves

    Dear John,

    I think you already know my answer to the second question, “Do we want godliness or painlessness from God?” I was thinking today on the thought, “for me to live is Christ but to die is gain”. I was also thinking about how much Jesus suffered for us. He went through so much pain. He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief… So, when we go through the painfulness of life, we can know that He understands suffering. I am so grateful for that. Yes, in our pain, we can suffer the loss of all things as rubbish so that we can gain Christ. This second question and email of your thoughts about it was very true. It was not easy the first time I read that second question email, but I praise God that He helped me as I read it again today. Yes, He keeps growing me. Just like you mentioned today that God keeps growing even us grown-ups. 🙂 I think it’s neat that He was working on me today in thinking about these things even before I read that email again.

    Praising Him,

    Annette

    P.S. I will plan to send my part 3 answer tomorrow.

    Reply

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