On cold days our old dog moves around the garden, finding a sunny spot to stretch out on the grass to keep herself in the warmth of the sun.

This reminds me that we must “keep” ourselves in the love of God (Jude 1:21). That doesn’t mean we have to act in some special way to make God love us (although our desire is to please Him). Because we are His children we’re loved no matter what we do or fail to do. It means instead that we should think about His love and live in its radiance and warmth all day long.

“[Nothing] shall be able to separate us from the love of God” (Rom. 8:39). He loved us before we were born, and He loves us now. This is our identity in Christ; it is who we are—God’s beloved children. That’s something to think about throughout the day.

Five times in John’s gospel John described himself as the disciple Jesus loved (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7,20). Jesus loved His other disciples too, but John revelled in the fact that Jesus loved him! We can adopt John’s theme—“I am the disciple Jesus loves!”—and repeat it to ourselves all day long. As we carry that truth with us throughout the day, we’ll be strengthened by His love!

God loves us not because of who we are, but because of who He is.

Author

David H. Roper

Topics

Our Daily Bread