Chances are you’ve heard “God loves you” or “Jesus loves you” more times than you can count. (And if not, hear it now- God DOES love you!) Have you really thought about what that means for you, though? What it does for you to have God’s love? Today we’re going to talk about 3 of the things God’s love does for us.
God’s Love Gives Us Identity
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
1 Peter 2.9
It seems from early childhood, everyone is trying to give you a label, for better or worse. A teacher might say, “You’re a slacker” or a kid at school might say, “you’re funny” etc. Our young brains latch onto what people tell us as we unconsciously search for our meaning and identity. The trouble is, no one truly knows our identity except our Creator. Only He knows what He made us for…who He made us to be. In a broad sense, when you become a Christ-follower, your identity becomes a child of God (John 1.12), a new creation (2 Corinthians 5.17), more than a conqueror (Romans 8.37), a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3.20), God’s handiwork (Ephesians 2.10), Jesus’ friend (John 15.15), and much much more!
God’s Love Gives Us Purpose
Purpose. What a loaded idea. People have searched for the meaning of life- the purpose of their existence in every imaginable place. Throughout history, people have tried living for accomplishments, money, pleasure, possessions, service, you name it. But just as our identity can only be given by our Creator, so can our purpose. As children of God, we all have a collective purpose and an individual purpose. Generally, our life purpose is to love God and obey His commands, bear fruit, and love others (John 15). Individually, He has gifted and prepared each of us for a specific purpose.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2.10
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Psalms 139.13-14
If you are unsure about your purpose, take some time to pray about it and read in your Bible about some of the gifts God has given certain people. (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and 14.) It seems many people have a lot of angst and anxiety in this department, but don’t let yourself fall into that trap. It’s only the enemy that wants you to be confused. God created you and gave you the right personality and gifts for what He wants you to do. It’s not as hard to figure out as many people make it out to be, however, knowing your giftings is not the most important thing. Being obedient to what God asks you to do is what really matters.
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God’s Love Gives Us A Future
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29.11
The future can seem like a scary thing unless you choose to remember 2 important truths about what God tells us. First, when we choose to accept His gift of salvation, we will live eternally with Him when our life on earth is over. Second, that He will always be with us. If we remember that God is with us- no matter what happens to us, no matter how bad things look around us, there is no room for fear. Keep your eyes on Him!
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God bless you. Stay hopeful! ❤️
