In spite of my many fatherly mess-ups (and lately I feel as if I’ve had more than a few), my deepest hope for my two sons is that they will know I love them, and that my love comes from God. If you want to prod me to tears, get me to talk about my hopes for my sons. There are few places where I could feel more anxiety than when I consider the uncertain future: Will they grow up to be good men? Will they follow truth and life? But what I do know, without doubt, is that I love my boys fiercely—that I have always done so and will always love them.
Our good Father loves us fiercely, and His love wholly embraces us. “Even before he made the world,” Paul tells us, “God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (Ephesians 1:4). Before we even existed, God set us apart—insistent on loving us. Consider this: There’s never been a moment of your life when you haven’t been the object of God’s love.
Before we breathed our first breath, before we ever accomplished anything, before we’d achieved something we could claim as success, before we advanced in our vocation or made our parents proud, before we crafted a life . . . God determined to love us. “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. . . . It gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:5).
Of course, God knows the depths of our human waywardness. So even knowing how we’d blunder, how we’d mess up close relationships, how we’d cave to addictions—He loved us. He knew in advance about how we’d become callous or greedy or selfish, how our hearts would grow cold, and how much we’d make an absolute mess of things.
But God loves us still.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
More:
Read John 15:16. How do these words from Jesus add another dimension to Paul’s words in Ephesians?
Next:
When have you felt unwanted or estranged? How might you consider Jesus’ words (“I chose you”) this week and meditate on how deeply Jesus has embraced you and loved you?
Gary Shultz on December 9, 2016 at 5:39 am
Winn, you’re a pastor, you teach us, so I appreciate your candidness in being a father. I think most believing men have the same feelings you have, I did. However, you already possess 90 percent + or – a few to continue on. It is no secret to you that the same picture has been painted by our Heavenly Father and that is “love”, unconditional, over flowing, solid as a rock, love. You will be surprised as time passes and your boys turn into young men and you talk about things in the past. Those things where you think you bobbled, blundered, and blew it, don’t even show up on the radar. What does show up is knowing they were and are loved. A little confession here, my deepest regret is not some trip we missed or a ball game I was out of town, it was that I reproduced the way to inefficient, way to legalistic practice of placing behavior, before belief. So well behaved, but the landing gear does not work well on faith and things about God being a complete, total reality. The great hope I have, is over my shoulder is God looking on, and He whispers we aren’t done here yet. We love, but God loves more, and I have the ultimate One working all things together. he has not forgotten, He has not ignored, He does require some timing and patience, because He also respects choice. And no one can correct a persons view like their ever loving Heavenly Father. Thanks Winn, it’s an incredible privilege to be a dad. Enjoy Christmas with them.
gagirllive on December 9, 2016 at 7:07 am
“God is looking on, and He whispers we aren’t done here yet.” Thank you, BWO. That comforts me today.
hsnpoor on December 9, 2016 at 12:00 pm
Praying for you and your prodigals, GG!
hsnpoor on December 9, 2016 at 11:59 am
BWO, what spoke to me was “legalistic practice of placing behavior, before belief” and that “no one can correct a persons view like their ever loving Heavenly Father”. You identified the problem and the cure and, as Jesus said to Peter, flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but rather the Father Himself. Keep believing, keep trusting, keep praying and I will pray with you. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Gary! And to you also, Winn, and to all the ODJ readers!
corgimom on December 9, 2016 at 5:49 am
Oh how I needed this today! I am in the midst of being a disappointment to my heavenly Father, and struggling to get back to where I should be, but to know that God doesn’t give up on me, that He still loves me with His everlasting love. Thank you, Winn.
gagirllive on December 9, 2016 at 7:26 am
God’s open arms are always waiting to embrace you, friend. I pray that through confession and repentance you will find the confidence to move back into them and enjoy restored fellowship once again.
gagirllive on December 9, 2016 at 6:54 am
There you go again, Winn, showing us the Father’s heart. 🙂 This truth is my anchor for me and my prodigals. Thank you for the encouragement today. Merry Christmas, Winn!
gagirllive on December 9, 2016 at 8:29 am
Just had to come back and share a few lyrics from another favorite hymn, friends. His love in incomparable!
“The Love of God”
The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell—
It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell—
The guilty pair bowed down with care—God gave His Son to win—
His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin
Oh love of God—how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure the saints’ and angels’ song
godlove on December 9, 2016 at 7:14 am
Thank you Winn, it is a very humbling indeed, to be reminded that not only does God know each and every human, every soul born and unborn (“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.” – Jer 1:5). He also loves each one uniquely. And when you factor in Jesus’ reassuring words from John 15:16, we find that we are bathing under the full warmth of our God’s divine Love. It is so very reassuring to know that in face of trials and temptations, in face of difficulties and storms of life, God *still* loves us. Blessed weekend to all.
gagirllive on December 9, 2016 at 7:20 am
Amen, godlove. “…we are bathing under the full warmth of our God’s divine Love.” Such a comforting and palpable thought! Thank you, friend. A blessed weekend to you too.
minkjh on December 9, 2016 at 3:04 pm
Our love for each other can swing like a pendulum, from a love that breathes the sweetness of affection to one that may need to be downright tough through discipline. Thankfully, we should all sing these words- ‘Oh, how I love Jesus, because he first loved me’. ‘Nuf said.