VOW: Feeling Unloved vs. Being Loved

Verse of the week

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
John 8:38-39 NKJV

I was recently listening to my favorite YouTuber/Podcaster, Mike Winger, the Bible Thinker. He does weekly “20 Questions with Pastor Mike” videos where he gives live answers to questions sent in by viewers. Mike offered thoughtful advice to one viewer that really struck a chord in me as I listened. One simple statement stood out from the rest. I immediately knew I had to share it with you.

“The Cross is God’s message that He still loves me—constantly loves me.”
Mike Winger

When we struggle with feeling like God can’t possibly still love us after we have messed up yet again, that our relationship has been broken beyond repair by our sinful actions, we need look no further than the cross to realize afresh that God constantly loves us.

As the Sunday School song says, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” We can add a verse: “God still loves me, this I know. The Cross of Jesus tells me so!”

To fully grasp this requires faith. Doubt says, “I don’t feel Your love right now. I’m not sure You love me anymore.” Faith says, “I know You love me because You have told me so in Your Word, so I choose to believe that and trust You.”

We humans can be so ruled and dominated by our feelings. If I feel it, it must be true. If I don’t feel it, it can’t be true. Faith is not about feelings. Faith is about choosing to believe what God has said, over what we see or feel. Even love is not always about feelings. Love is an act of the will. God wills to love us because it is His nature to love.

If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins on the cross, and rose again in victory over death, then you can rest in the fact that God loves you as His son or daughter, even when you can’t feel it. Maybe even especially when you can’t feel it.

Live it out this week

Choose to believe God’s Word over your own doubtful heart and fickle feelings!

Read John 3 and Romans 8 and meditate on them. Memorize Romans 8:38-39. Let this truth sink deeply into your spirit.

Listen to or watch 20 Questions with Pastor Mike (episode 36) which I mentioned above. You can find the video here: https://youtu.be/OGMLIWzXXtU, or the podcast here: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=1358056327&i=1000525440003. The portion I mentioned begins at the 1:07:00 mark. Listen to the whole session if you have time. It is well worth it.

Prayer

Thank You, Lord, for Your constant love for us and for the Cross where Jesus laid down His life to always remind us of that love. Amen

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Featured Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay