For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
– John 3:16-17
I adore my grandchildren! I see the goodness in them; I love them even when they make poor choices, I forgive them over and over, and I delight in them! There’s nothing they can do to make me not love them. Because of my relationship with my grandchildren and others, I can understand God’s great love for me. He sees the good in me. He forgives me time and again. He delights in me!
Unfortunately, we aren’t always kind to one another. If you’ve ever been personally attacked and “condemned” for something you’ve done or have been accused of doing, you know it’s awful. I don’t know anyone who enjoys being told they have wrong thinking or that their actions have been wrong. But I think the worst type of condemnation is self-condemnation. When another person gets on my case, I can usually get away from them, but when I condemn myself, I can’t get away from me! In fact, I can spend a lot of time with “what ifs” going around in my brain. I say things I wish I could take back. I do things I wish I could undo. I think things that aren’t nice. Can you relate?
And yet, John 3:17 clearly tells us that Jesus didn’t come to condemn us. So why do we condemn one another and ourselves? What can we do when bad choices are made? The answer is in Jesus. We make bad choices; we sin. God made a clear path for us to receive forgiveness for our poor decisions when He sent Jesus.
I hope you know that God delights in YOU. He loves you unconditionally; He forgives you even when you repeat mistakes, and He delights in you! Soak that in. God, the creator of the universe, delights in you. Not the perfect you, but the you who makes bad choices, the you who isn’t always kind, the you who sometimes doubts. He loves YOU!
When we concentrate on God’s love for us, our thinking changes from “What if” to “What now.” Because God loves me, how will I approach each day? Because God loves me, what can He help me accomplish? Because God loves me, how will I treat others? Because God loves me, how can I share His love and bring hope to the world?
Susan Meharg, Executive Assistant to the Executive Team
