Jesus loves you as you are!

Romans 5:8 (NLT), "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." Wow, God showed how much He loved you by sending Jesus to die for you while you were still in sin! He didn't wait for you to be good enough or to be holy enough, He loved you just as you were. He still loves you! All He asks of us is that we love Him in return. What does love for God look like? Jesus break this down into one very simple statement:

John 14:15 (NET),“If you love Me (Jesus), you will obey My commandments."

If you love God, you will obey His commandments. So what are His commandments you ask? The Apostle John explains this for us in 1 John 3:23 (NLT), "And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us." So there you have it, 2 very simple commands to prove you love God:

1) Believe in His Son Jesus Christ, meaning have faith in Him for salvation.

-John 3:16 (NLT), "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

-Acts 16:31 (NLT), "They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”

2) Love each other, just as He commanded us.

-John 13:34 (HCSB), "I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another."

Jesus tells us here that we are to love each other just as He loved us, meaning we should be willing to give our lives for each other in love, if that is required of us!

-1 John 3:18 (NIV), "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

This is what love to each other will look like. If you read the precedeing verses of 1 John 3, you will see John compares this statement of love in action with someone who knows their neighbor, family, or friends has need of something, but instead of giving to them, they shut them out. We must act on our love, and not merely hold it in. Imagine how better this world would be if all of us, even if you do not believe in the Lord Jesus would practice this very biblical truth: Love each other in action and deeds, not just in word.

So you may be asking right now, but what about the 10 commandments? Paul answers that question for me in Romans 13:8-10:

Romans 13:8-10 (NLT), "8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law."

Isn't it amazing how the Word of God ties itself together? Loving one another fulfills the requirements of God's Law, the 10 commandments. You even see Paul list 4 of them in this passage, and then says that all other such commandments are summed up by love.

So friend, the question comes down to this. That God loves you is without question, do you love God? He gave Himself for us all and even though our sins nailed Jesus to the cross, He loved us and still loves us anyway. So what will you do about this? If you are living for Him, and are honest in your assessment of such, then you need do nothing but keep on keeping on. If you know you can improve on your love for Him, how about getting on your knees right now and asking Him to forgive you and enable you to live for Him. He withholds nothing good from those who ask Him (Matthew 7:11; Luke 11:13) and He will give you the strength to live for Him (2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Philippians 4:13) God loves you friend! He loves you! Let that sink into your head and heart, meditate on that truth. Tell yourself: God, the creator of all being, time, and space loves me (Insert your name).