I have known and believed God loves me and THAT keeps me going. THAT changes how I live.

“And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:16)

The Enduring Word commentary says, “We should consider what would it take to make us stop believing God loves us. Paul knew that nothing could separate him from the love of God that was in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:35-39), and each Christian should have the same confidence.”

We want that confidence don’t we? We want that kind of love.

We write romantic songs about this kind of love we crave without knowing it’s only Jesus who loves us this way.

This really struck me as my husband and I were listening to a popular “love” song on a recent date night—

“Even if you see my scars
Even if I break your heart
If we’re a million miles apart
Do you think you’d walk away?
If I get lost in all the noise
Even if I lose my voice
Flirt with all the other boys
What would you say?
Could you?
Could you?
Could you love me anyway?
Is it for better or for worse
Or am I just your good time girl?
Can you still hold me when it hurts
Or would you walk away?
Even if I scandalize you
Cut you down and criticize you
Tell a million lies about you
What would you say?
Could you?
Could you?
Could you?
Could you love me anyway?
Could you? (Aw, could you?)
Could you? (Could you?)
Could you?
Could you love me anyway?
Could you?
Could you? (Could you still love me?)
Could you? (Pick up the pieces of me?)
Could you? (Could you still love me?)
Could you love me anyway?
Could you? (Ooh, could you still love me?)
Could you? (Pick up the pieces of me?)
Could you? (Could you still love me?)
Could you love me anyway?
Could you? (Could you catch me when I fall?)
Could you? (And we rise above it all)
Could you? (And hold me when it hurts)
Like it’s the end of the world
Could you?
Could you?
Could you?
Could you?”
(Love Me Anyways, Pink)

We all crave this love that sees all our scars, is even offended by us, but never walks away.

Oh friend, only Jesus. He loved us first. He knows all our yuck. He knows that thing that you just thought about that you’d never tell anyone about and HE loves you anyway. He died for you knowing all of this! He will never walk away from those who call Him Savior.

Remembering this truth is what people mean when they say, “preach the gospel to yourself every day.”

This truth about the perfect love of Christ changes how we live and it gives us a boldness and removes fear.

John writes, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love”. (1 John 4:17-18.)

There is no fear when we remember the gospel, the love of Christ that saved us, because, thank God, we can never lose the love of Christ! ❤️

read1John

Note – this is a continuation of my study of 1 John. Go to this page on Facebook or kimjaggers.com to see other posts on this wonderful book of the Bible.