Wednesday January 28, 2015

Read 1 John 4:9-10

There’s a fundamental difference between feeling unloved and unlovable. Most of us have had times in our life when we have felt unloved. Maybe during a dry spell in our marriage we felt unloved. Maybe when our children entered the dreaded teenage years and wanted nothing to do with their parents, we felt unloved. Maybe when our boss was displeased with our work performance, we felt unloved. But when we feel unlovable we realise that there is nothing within us or about us that would compel someone else to love us. Feeling unloved focuses on someone else. We feel unloved by someone else. Feeling unlovable focuses on ourselves as is independent of anyone else.

Have you ever felt unlovable? Have you ever felt so bad that you figured that no one could ever love you? Given that suicide rates are at an all-time high, especially among teens, I suspect that most of us have felt this way at some point in time.

Even in this bottom of the barrel situation there is good news. Even when we feel unlovable, there is good news. We can break the shackles and chains. We can break free from this horrid condition. But it’s not by positive self talk or by finding good things in ourselves to focus on. We can break free by realising that God does not love us because we are lovable. We don’t have to prove ourselves to God or make ourselves lovable for him to lavish His love upon us. God doesn’t scour the earth looking for people with the greatest potential to lavish with His love. He’s not seeking out another diamond in the rough to

polish up.    

The scriptural reality is that none of us are good enough to be loved by God. No one on this planet (past, present or future) is smart enough to warrant God’s love or beautiful enough to woo God’s love or productive enough or generous enough to make God love them. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God. All of us deserve God’s condemnation and wrath, not His love and mercy. But even so, God loves you. Warts and all, God loves you! Can you hear the grace dripping off that statement? God loves you. I don’t have to lie to myself that I’m better than I really am. I don’t have to make up things about myself to appear more lovable. I don’t have to think positive self thoughts. God loves me. God loves you. If you find yourself feeling unlovable, meditate upon this reality – God loves you. Warts and all God loves you!

As I counselled a young girl who had been abandoned by her parents and abused for most of her life even by those who should have loved her, the Holy Spirit whispered in my heart, ‘Share Psalm 27:10’. I had no idea what Psalm 27:10 said, even though I love to memorize Scripture. Trying hard to flick inconspicuously through my Bible without disturbing her outpouring I stumbled across these words.

Psalm 27:10 (NIV84)

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.

How comforting to think that God receives and accepts us even if our parents don’t. How blessed to know that God loves us even when others like our parents can’t or won’t love us. God will receive you. He will love you and accept you, warts and all, even if your parents don’t love you. No matter what you’ve been through, no matter how unlovable you might feel, you can know for certain that God loves you.

Let that truth sink deeply into your heart as you walk through the rest of the day.

Prayer:

Use the day’s reading notes and Bible passage to pray meaningfully:

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Pray that your congregation would be saturated by love and that each person would be growing in love for God and love for others.

· Pray that the youth group at your church would feel and experience the love of God and of the congregation.  .

 Discussion & Reflection

1. A fellow believer asks you why God chose to love him but not his brother. How do you respond in a pastorally sensitive way?

2. A believer shares with you the struggles she’s had for the last month and cries out, ‘Why does God hate me?’ How do you respond?

3. How can I be sure that God loves me?