I know and believe that God loves me, and I’m so grateful He does. However, my discontentment with where I am in life revealed how severely I had misunderstood His love.
I understand rationally that possessions and circumstances do not indicate the Lord’s love for me. God’s love is unconditional and independent of life’s circumstances. This seems elementary. The enemy, however, can take something as simple as God’s steadfast love and add subtle distortions so it becomes perverted.
I started believing that God’s blessing other people was proof of His love for them. If this was true, where was the “proof” of His love for me? There are still many things I believe the Lord for. As you might imagine, I began to spiral and become frustrated with the Lord for seemingly withholding from me until the Holy Spirit revealed my error.
The Real Evidence of His Love
While God delights in giving His children good gifts, He isn’t obligated to show His love by lavishing us with blessings and miracles. He chooses to do this because He is good, loving, and gracious. His favor and blessings aren’t mandatory evidence of His love.
The real evidence of His love is the cross. The Father sent his only Son and spilled His blood for your and my sins. The cross is personal! We can only reconcile with the Father because of what Jesus did for us at Calvary. What greater love is there than the Father pouring wrath on His Beloved so we could have everlasting life?
The cross is and will always be enough. I do not need the Lord to prove His love for me because He already did 2,000 years ago. I didn’t deserve it then and I don’t deserve it now, yet I receive it. This is so simple, yet sobering! I am humbled by how closely I must look to the cross of Christ.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is equally as necessary and astounding for sons and daughters as it is for unbelievers.
Thank you Jesus for the blood!
Carmen