Always Loved

READ: PSALM 27:10; ISAIAH 49:15; 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-13; 1 JOHN 4:7-21

People don’t always love each other the way they should. Our world has been broken by sin, and we experience this brokenness in so many ways. You might see divorces happen and witness the heart-wrenching sorrow of two people separating after promising to be joined to one another for life. You might see parents abandon their children. Maybe you suffered a big hurt when someone in your life walked away from you. We don’t always love each other as we should. We mess up and hurt each other, whether intentionally or unintentionally. But God’s love for you is always there. He will never take it from you.

When you don’t feel loved by your family in the way you should, you can remember that you have a God and Father who always loves you. Psalm 27:10 says, “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.”

When you don’t feel loved by your friends, you can remember that Jesus calls His followers His friends (John 15:15). He so much wants to be with you that He went to the cross to die for you—and then He rose again, defeating sin and death so you could be with Him forever.

When you worry that you are not loved, you can remember that the One who created the whole world created you. He made you in your mother’s womb, and He knows you (Psalm 139:1-17). He knows exactly who you are and loves you.

God always cares about you and wants you as His child. Through Jesus, He made the way for you to be forgiven and brought into His family, where He helps us grow in love. Even when others don’t love you as they should, you are still worthy of love, and God will always give His love to you. • Bethany Acker

• When we fail to love each other, God sees all the ways we hurt each other and all the pain we go through, and He weeps. But He doesn’t stop there. He came to deliver us. Jesus, God in flesh, died and rose again so we could be forgiven and brought near to God. He also gives believers His Holy Spirit, who empowers us to love others the way He loves us. When Jesus returns, He will restore all things, and everyone who’s put their trust in Him will live together in perfect love and harmony, with every hurt healed and every wrong made right. Until that glorious day, why is it so important for us to take time to meditate on the truth of God’s love for us in His Word?

• What kinds of hurts have you experienced? In addition to talking to Jesus about this, who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to, such as parents, friends, pastors, or counselors?

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. 1 John 4:16a (NLT)