Bible Reading: Jeremiah 31:1-6
Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.” Jeremiah 31:3
Shay storms into the house, slamming the door behind him. He mouths off to his parents, then shoves his little brother’s face into a bowl of ice cream. Grounded to his room for the rest of the day, Shay kicks the cat and slams his fist into the pillow.
As Shay cools off, it occurs to him that he’s been a jerk and that Jesus has stuck with him through it all. So he wonders, Lord, why do you love me so much?
Ever blown it big and asked God that question?
Well, he loves you because he created you.
Have you ever watched parents ooh and ahh over their newborn baby? Some newborns are the ugliest creatures on earth. But to their own parents, they couldn’t be cuter. How come? Because mom and dad helped create the little darling.
It’s the same way with God. Because he created us, he loves us even when we’re unlovely and unlovable. He thinks we’re the greatest. And nothing we do can make him stop loving us.
We might wonder how God can keep loving us after we’ve sinned. Like when we get angry and break a brother’s or sister’s toy. Or we yell at our parents. Or we talk behind a friend’s back.
God wouldn’t be thrilled with any of that behavior, but he wouldn’t quit loving us for it. In fact, nothing we can do will stop him from continuing to love us. Jesus’ death on the cross paid for our sin—past, present, and future. Absolutely nothing can cause God to change his mind and stop loving us. Nothing! Listen to what the Bible has to say about it:
Psalm 103:12 says, “He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west.”
Romans 5:8 tells us how much God loved us even before we loved him: “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
Romans 8:38-39 lists all sorts of things that cannot separate us from God’s love: “Death can’t, and life can’t…. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We need to get it into our head: God loves us. We can’t scare away his love!
TALK: How do you feel knowing that nothing can separate you from God?
PRAY: God, your love for us is incredible. Thank you for your love that never stops.
ACT: Have you ever stopped loving someone who hurt you? Love like God does— and do something caring for that person today.
