The Bungee Cord 2-27-23

Hello,

Why can I say with sheer confidence that God loves you, and me for that matter?

I know that in saying this, I am making a rather blanket statement. After all, I don’t even know many of you who will read this Bungee Cord. I don’t know if you live a life that resembles Jesus’ life. I don’t know if you are someone who is the pillar of your community or someone who is the blight of your community. I don’t know if you pray and worship, or even if you believe in Jesus. Even those who are reading this that I do know, how can I be so sure in telling you that God loves you?

Here's the answer. God loves you, not because you love God and your life resembles that love. God loves you because “God is love.” (1 John4:16). And just a few verses before, “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

Clearly, God did not send his Son into the world because the world loved God accordingly. As a matter of fact, the Bible tells us that God sent his Son to save sinners. Not just some sinners, but all sinners. That includes me, and that includes you. For those who would say, “But don’t you have to want to be saved?”, I know this for a fact. Even though I do not possess the depth of love that God has, I know for certain that if one of my kids was determined to take his life, I would do everything in my power to keep that from happening. And that is what God has done in Jesus.

For those that might say, “Don’t we have to do something? Do some good? Believe at least a little bit?”, I ask this: Where does “some good” start? When does a “little bit” kick in? If there is something that I must do to be loved by God, I am certain that I would always be certain that I was not. As a matter of fact, I would start looking for that special place in hell for people like me. Someone has said to me when I say such things, “People don’t think that way anymore,” and maybe they don’t, but if sin is deadly (and it is deadly enough to kill Jesus) it seems to me that even a single virus of sin in my life is enough to bring death into the world and earn for me a special place in hell.

Listen to this, “9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6). How do I know that God loves you? Because Jesus died for you! He died for you despite the deepest darkest secret that you hide in your heart because you think if it is know you will be unlovable. He died for you despite the failures that float in your wake that constantly pop up all around you. He died for you despite your inability to conceive of the existence of one who commands the universe with such love. He died for you, not because you love him. He died for you because God is love.

Like lying in the warm sun after the cold of winter has past, soak up the warmth, see the world illumined in grace……”abide in God’s love”. God loves you.

Have a great week,

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

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