We are busy people. We have classes to go to, assignments to do, friends to hang out with, work to go to. Some of us have families to take care of or loved ones to watch after. Typically rushing here and there while we fill up our planners with stuff to do, day after day.
We are hard on ourselves. We tell ourselves we aren't good enough. I have to go to the gym because I need to lose weight. I suck at school. I will never be as good of a (fill in the blank) as he/she is. I need to do better. I need to work harder.
We go through stressful and difficult situations. Loved ones get sick. Loved ones pass away. Managing finances is hard. We don't always get along with our family members or our friends. School work piles up. Trying to find a job is stressful. Moving on from a past relationship is difficult.
We encounter unkind people and at times we, too, are unkind. A driver cuts you off. You blare your horn. A group of girls laugh as a boy trips in the Brickyard on campus. You don't smile at the nice lady at the cash register. People gossip about your current situation. You post an offensive status on social media.
There is a lot of pain and hurt in this world. We see it all over the news; you can't miss it. People are hurting and it hurts us to see it. It makes us angry and frustrated. How could this be the world we live in?
It is easy to become hopeless. It is easy to be discouraged.
But, there is something you need to know.
God loves you so much.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (1 John 4:16).
God knows you and cares for you more than anyone else.
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16).
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:27).
Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows (Luke 12:7).
You were created to do good.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
The God who created you has overcome the world.
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).
The God who created you is bigger and more powerful than the pain and struggles of life.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure (Psalm 147:5).
For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes (Deuteronomy 10:17)
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable (Isaiah 40:28).
God sent His son, Jesus, as the payment for our sins.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)
This is His love. This is what you need to know.
You are adequate.
You are enough.
You can make a difference.
We have a great hope to put our trust in.
Even if you're not a Christian, God loves and cares for you.
God wants to have a relationship with you and wants you to experience the overwhelming power and joy of His love.
You do not have to earn salvation. God offers eternal life as a gift freely given as long as you believe and choose to accept it.
As a Christian, you know all these things to be true, but often we need to be reminded of the greatness of our God and of the vastness of His love for us. I encourage you that when life becomes difficult and you're overcome by the things of this world, run straight to Jesus and His word. It is so easy to run to other things, whether that be friends, food, gossip, social media, isolation, or something else we're tempted to go to. I often fail to make it a priority to run straight to the feet of Jesus, too. But every time I do run to the Lord, I experience complete satisfaction and reassurance; something I know I will never receive from the things of this world.
If you are not a believer, I'm praying that God will speak to you through what you have just read. I encourage you to ask questions. God created you for so much more in this life. Through Jesus, He offers to you eternal life and fellowship with him. He will change your life for the better. He will be steadfast and faithful to you when the people and things of this world are not. He wants you to know Him today and He is pursuing your heart. You don't have to fix your life before you come to Him. Believe. Know that God loves you and wants to have a personal relationship with you. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Confess and repent of your sin. We all are by nature, sinners. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 8:28). Don't try to please God on your own. Realize that salvation through the blood of Jesus is a gift that no one deserves. But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinner, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Trust Him and truly accept his gift. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name (John 1:12). Receiving Jesus is a matter of sincerely asking Him to come into your heart, to forgive your sins, and to become your Lord and Savior over your life. It is an act of sincere faith, true belief, and heart-felt will. Trust in Him. He's the something you need to know today.
