BIBLE PASSAGE:
Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.
Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in them.
(1 John 4:8,16)
MEDITATION:
Have you ever reached a point in your life when you felt all alone
and unloved? You had friends all around you, but these feelings
would not go away. Your friends and family may have suspected
something was wrong and wanted to help, but were not sure what
to do or say.
Even when they tried to console you, the things they may have said
were not what you needed at the time. You may have misinterpreted
their words or inactions as a lack of concern, and it caused you to
believe that your friends and family had deserted you in your time
of need.
It can be one of the worst times in your life. Knowing that you are
loved by someone (anyone) is what you needed at the time (being
loved is a need for us all, isn’t it?). A feeling of being lonely and
unloved can cause us to fall into a state of depression. Then
depression can cause us to withdraw from others which adds
to our emotional pain and could result in some health problems.
Who knows how you arrived at this point in your life? Maybe
it was caused by something someone said or did to you. It could
be the result of a sudden health or financial problem. Perhaps
it was caused by an overwhelming concern or worry you have
about someone, or something else. It could be that you reached
out to someone (text, phone call, etc.) but they ignored you and
didn’t answer your call, or respond to your text.
Regardless of how you reached this state of feeling unloved and
lonely, it is emotionally painful to have this feeling of despair.
To someone else it may seem like something insignificant, but
it is real to you and it is disrupting your life.
Whenever we get these feelings, we need to look for help from
the one we know who loves us at all times. His Word confirms
God’s love many times and even reminds us that ‘He IS love’!
Think about that for a second – God is composed of love.
Not only does God love us, but He is there with us. Remember
when you created something with your own hands? You had a
special affection for it and wanted to protect it at all costs,
didn’t you? Why? Because you made it.
God made us! He has a special love for us and wants to be
with us at all times. He wants to protect us from feelings
that can devastate our lives. Even though God expressed
His love for us by sending His only Son to the cross for our
sins, most of us cannot fully comprehend or appreciate the
depth and sincerity of His love for us.
We have heard others say that they love someone, but their
actions may cause us to wonder if they are sincere. But we
can be sure that God loves us and His sincerity is never in
question.
According to His Word, in order to know God, we are required to
live a life of love. We are to love God; we are to love others; and
we are to love ourselves. Loving ourselves doesn’t mean we become
conceited or egotistical, it means we appreciate how wonderfully
God has made us, and we love the fact that He has plans for us.
We are told that for us to ‘live in Him’, and for Him to ‘live in us’,
we have to ‘live in love’. Others should know us by the life of love
we live. A person with love has a greater concern for others than
they do for themselves. They are NOT known as someone who is
selfish and has to have things their way at all times.
It is interesting that even when a loving person is discouraged,
they still look for ways to lift the spirits of others. They enjoy
brightening the days of others; they do not look for ways to
harm, discourage, or disrespect them.
Hunger and thirst are the main physical desires of a person,
but love is our greatest emotional need. However, living a life
of love does not mean that we are immune to difficult times in
our own lives.
So what do we do whenever we are overwhelmed by these feelings of
loneliness and being unloved? The scriptures tell us that we need to
‘rely on God’, because we ‘know of the love He has for us’. We know
of His love because He made us and has given us the capacity to
understand that He loves us. His love is not a casual love, but it
is a love that is sincere, everlasting and wants the best for us.
Just as we hate to see another person hurting, God doesn’t want to see
us hurting either. Even when we make bad choices, we may suffer the
consequences of our choices, but God’s love for us does not diminish.
When it seems no one else is there, God is always there because He
loves and cares about us.
ACTION:
Do you know God? Are you living a life of love?
What motivates you to do what you do and say what you say?
Do you want the best for others or does jealousy get in your way?
How close is your relationship with God? Do you feel you need
to tell others about your faith and love of God, or can they see
it by the way you live your life?
As an example, would you believe someone if they told you they loved
another person, but they never had a conversation with them or visited
them at their house? Their lack of action would cause you to be skeptical
about their love for the other person, wouldn’t it? However, there are
many who claim to love the Lord, but seldom talk to Him (prayer) or
visit Him at His house.
True love means we look forward to spending time with another person.
We don’t visit them because we feel obligated to visit them; we visit the
ones we love because we look forward to spending time with them. Even
if our actions do not support our love for God, His love for us continues
because that is the kind of loving God He is. When you were a child,
remember how much you enjoyed singing, “Jesus loves me”? As a child
we could appreciate that message, but as adults we may not feel the same
impact of those words.
We might be tempted to and think “That’s a nice message”, but then
we toss it aside and continuing living the life we are living in the way
we want to live it. However, we need to realize that one day we will be
held accountable for the sincerity of our love for the Lord.
Jesus said,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will
enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one
who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did
we not prophesy in Your name and in Your name
drive out demons and in Your name perform many
miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never
knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
(Matthew 7:21-23)
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your love for me. Thank
You for being the One I can rely on. Help me to live a life of
love so that I will truly know You. Forgive me if I am being
selfish and not spending time with You in prayer and worship.
I want to show my love for You…to You. I want others to know
that my love for You is real. I want them to see my words are
confirmed through my actions. I know that many have turned
their back on You and no longer have a desire to spend time
worshipping and praising You with others who love You. I pray
that the Holy Spirit will not allow me to turn my back on You,
but will instill in me a desire to look forward to enjoying my
time with You in worship and praise. Father, I pray that You
will come to my rescue whenever I am overwhelmed by my
feelings that I am unloved and lonely. Whenever I am in despair,
remind me that I can rely on You because You are always nearby.
Help me to love others as You love me.”
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