This podcast covers Lesson 7 of Everyday Women, Ever-Faithful God Bible Study by Melanie Newton.
Hannah—Believe that You Are Dearly Loved
Grasp the fact that as a Christian you are dearly loved by your God.
One of the top internet search phrases leading people to the website Bible.org is this question, “What does God think about me?” That could be a natural question for anyone to ask who does not already know the Bible’s teachings. But, a lot of times, that question is wrapped up in mega insecurity, even among Christians. Perhaps this question is constantly rolling over in your mind. “What does God think about me?”
No wonder many women look at their lives, which may be very messy compared to others, and think to themselves, “God must not like me as much as He does her.” Have you ever thought that way? Then, you resign yourself to your “fate” because you don’t deserve better. Or, you do as many good deeds as you possibly can to try to get back into God’s good favor so He’ll love you again. Stop it! Grasp the fact that as a Christian you are dearly loved by your God. That’s what God thinks about you. And, God loves all of His children equally.
Grasping the truth that God loves you dearly
- Your God loves you, and He wants you to know it, to grasp it. To never let go of that truth.
“I pray that … [God] may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love may have power … to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love …” (Ephesians 3:16-19)
- Christ already lives in the heart of every believer through the Holy Spirit. That word “dwell” means that Jesus is so at home in your heart that He is the dominating factor in your attitudes and behavior. And, Jesus wants you to be rooted and established in love—to be grounded in it, stabilized by it, to firmly grasp the immensity of how much you and I are loved! Jesus wants this to be deeply rooted in you. You can know this love intimately and experientially. It’s not just head knowledge. As a believer in Christ, you are an individual recipient of God’s personal love for His children.
- Through God’s power in you, you can GRASP God’s love for God enables you to overcome your insecurities and doubts and comparisons in order to know and experience His love. In Ephesians 5:1, we are called, “dearly loved children.” So, what does God think about you? You are dearly loved.
“There is nothing you can do to make God love you more! There is nothing you can do to make God love you less! His love is Unconditional, Impartial, Everlasting, Infinite, Perfect!” (Richard Halverson)
- God is not stingy with His love. The moment you believe in Jesus Christ, He loves you dearly just like that.
- Have you heard that God loves you but your brain is telling you, “No way!” Or, maybe you know in your head that God loves you, but you just don’t feel it in your heart. It’s okay to feel God’s love for you. God wants you to really KNOW it, to allow yourself to FEEL it, and to GRASP it. You can ask for this. Romans 5:5 says that God pours His love into your heart. It’s there for you to know.
The power of God overcomes what we’ve heard from others
- Has your concept of a Father’s love been corrupted by someone who should have shown you God’s kind of love? That affects your view of God and His love for you, especially if you only know performance-based love. Performance-based love says, “I will give my love to you if you meet a certain standard of performance. Otherwise, I will be disappointed in you and withhold my love.” That hurts. That breeds insecurity. Has that been your experience? That is not true love. That’s not how God’s love works.
- Think of the best father in any book, or movie or TV show. God is even better than that. God’s love is unconditional. He loves you for who you are now. He loves you for who you are becoming because He sees you perfected through His Spirit working in you. He looks upon you with love because you have trusted in His Son. His love allows things in your life that will strengthen you and mature you as you learn to rely on Him more. The Bible says that you are “dearly loved.”
What God says about you
- Dear friends, write this phrase on your mirror. “You are dearly loved by your Father God.” And put Ephesians 5:1 and Colossians 3:12 below that.
- The next time you ponder what God says or thinks about you, remember this truth. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes you’ve made in the past or what’s in your bank account. Whether you’ve been a Christian for 3 weeks or 30 years, you are dearly loved.
You are dearly loved by your Father God—equally, no more, no less than every other Christian alive today or in the past.
Joyful Walk Bible Studies by Melanie Newton are available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.