Have you ever driven to your folk's home and when they meet you at the door their faces light up when they see you? Or have you ever walked into a room and had a child’s face shine just because you are there? I hope so, because it is a taste of what happens every time we draw near to God. Yes, every time.      God continues to make me know how much he not only loves me, but likes me and enjoys my presence. I know that when I first believed the gospel and asked Jesus to forgive my sins and be my Savior, He received me with joy. There was no doubt. But over the years I knew that while God still loved me, I thought that perhaps He didn’t always light up whenever I approached His presence. Of course He loved me, I reasoned. After all He is God, but perhaps he was a tad disappointed or not as enthusiastic as at first. This thinking is not accurate. In fact, as I have been meditating on this concept, I have thought about what the Word of God says.
  • Consider the father of the prodigal son. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." Luke 15:20There is no hesitation, just compassion and joy upon seeing his son return home.
  • "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:8Every time, no exceptions.
  • "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28The call to come is for all.
  • "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7-8God is love, period.
  • "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8His love is not conditional. He does not love us more when we have cleaned up our act, He loves us even when we are unlovable.
     That God’s love is constant and unchangeable, is new thinking to me. I need to have my mind transformed by meditating and studying His Word, for I know that the truth will set me free from unbiblical patterns of thought.      While reading the Word has been a huge help, what sealed the deal for me was an experience I had a few weeks ago. I had awakened that morning with some doldrums. Normally I would have showered and put on some uplifting music and read the Bible to encourage myself in the Lord. But this morning I decided to ask God, who had been so real lately, “God do you still love me as much today as you did yesterday?” I sensed God’s face lighting up and He is laughing as He says, “Of course I do, I don’t have any baggage!!” He not only loves me, He likes me. What a revelation. My heart sang and my mind struggled to catch up with my joy.      I began to unpack what keeps me from loving, and I concluded that it was my own stuff, my personal issues and struggles. But God does not have any stuff. He has no baggage. God is love. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:5      God loves each of us with a happy affection. This wonderful being who is all love and all light is our dad. His love is constant for He is constant, He never changes. He is not disappointed with us. He is not embarrassed by us. These are lies from the pit. He is our good God, our heavenly Father, and our Friend. I hope you will join me in reveling in this new insight into his loving kindness towards each of us. Your brother, who is having his eyes opened to “the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge...” Ephesians 3:18-19   Steve