Tag Archives: God's love

Planning Your Legacy

Posted on by under Choices, God

Journal 2006

Our pastor challenged us to consider what we would want people to say about us at our memorial service or what we’d like imprinted on our tombstone. If we know the end, the goal of our life, we can work backward through the process to plan how to get there. For example, if you want to be known for being a generous person, you’ll want to practice giving now. If you want people to remember you for your kindness, then you’ll stamp out cruel remarks now.

At first, I thought I’d like my tombstone to read: “She loved God.” But on further reflection, I think the better epitaph would be: “Wonder of wonders—God loved her!”

A 2025 Update. I was meditating recently on George Beverly Shea’s hymn “The Wonder of It All” with the words “… but the wonder of it all is that God loves me.” https://youtu.be/MUBZy_6xUgY?si=l-3emAXwJLepC8Zx

And then I came across this note in Amazing Grace—366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck. “After attending a service where the hymn ‘O How I love Jesus’ was sung repeatedly, [Philip P.] Bliss thought, ‘Have I not been singing enough about my poor love for Jesus and shall I not rather sing of His great love for me?'” That’s when he penned the hymn, “Jesus Loves Even Me.” https://youtu.be/i0zljm3KMSA?si=zzmBqiuv_QnXiIqI

Apparently, I’m not the first to have this thought!

The Father’s Love

Posted on by under Emotions, God, Scripture

Journal 2017

Why do I resist the Father’s love? Is it because I do not love myself adequately? Is it because I think less of myself than He does?

I’ve been taught since grade school the concept of the depravity of man: “Your sins are scarlet,” “There is none righteous, no not one,” and those famous lines from “Amazing Grace”: “for such a worm as I.” We were taught that we’re abased, unholy, unrighteous, unworthy, worthless human beings.

How do I climb out of this pit of self-abasement? How do I make the transition to God’s favored one, beloved of the Father, “I’m wild about you,” redeemed, accepted, made righteous and holy and pure in His sight?

When I leap into the Father’s arms, He catches me and holds me tight. “I’ll never let you go,” He whispers in my ear. “You’re mine forever.” I nestle into His bosom—the carrying pouch for little lambs, safe, loved, secure. I no longer sing, “If Jesus goes with me, I’ll go,” but rather, wherever the Father goes, I am carried along with Him. I can hear His heartbeat. It soothes and lulls and lets me rest and sleep like a newborn.

Photo by Rachel Claire on Pexels.com

God Loves Me!

Posted on by under Emotions, God, Quotes

 “God created man . . . and God fell in love . . .” (Wes Stafford in Just a Minute)

From my 2012 Journal. That’s a stunning statement. In my head I’ve always known “God is love” and that God loves me. After all, we grew up singing, “Jesus loves me” and quoting John 3:16 “For God so loved the world . . . ” But were those just words, a fact, a piece of information, a truth with no questions asked, or a head knowledge only?

To say someone “fell in love” implies emotion and deep affection. There’s a difference between saying, “I know Scott loves me,” and “He fell in love with me.” I know about God’s agape love (sacrificial love; doing-the-right-and-moral-thing kind of love). But what do I know about His emotional love? Is it similar to what I feel for my girls or for my grandsons? I delighted in watching their every move as they turned over, took their first steps, spoke their first words. Is this how God feels toward me?

Somehow the thought that I’m a sinner stands in the way of accepting God’s emotional love for me. It’s time to take the label off.

I may be a corrupted or scratched-up CD, but I’m not a corrupted file. I’m fixable! (The world at the time of Noah—now that was a corrupted file!)

God loves the song that I sing. I’m his favorite album—scratches and all. He doesn’t get irate when I fail to perform at my best. He’s the originator, the creator of the CD, and He has a scratch-less copy on His hard drive. He made a perfect copy, and then Satan’s tools and my pride, stubbornness, and rebellion corrupted the music. Someday He’ll make another copy of me—back to perfect, good as new, and I won’t need the medium anymore. The music will play in the air, crystal clear, scratch-less.

God fell in love with me—my music—because He’s the songwriter, and He loves His creation. I came out of His heart. “Yes, Jesus loves me.”

2021 Update: After reading the book Imagine Heaven by John Burke, I have a new appreciation and understanding of God’s all-encompassing, unconditional, healing, gentle love. The thought makes my heart sing.