DOES ANYONE LOVE ME?
BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Because he loves Me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue
him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name.”
(Psalm 91:14)
MEDITATION:
One of the essential needs of every individual is; to know that they are
loved – by someone (anyone). In desperation, some people try all kinds
of things (many which are bad for them) in their efforts to feel loved. It
is not a need that can be remedied with medicine, and there is no one
who can be forced to love us.
There are many people who go through life either unloved, or imagining
they are unloved. Those who choose to live a life of self-pity will probably
have trouble recognizing it when they are loved by someone else. Why?
Because they often imagine the attitudes and thoughts of others toward
them (and the bad news is, they may be imagining things that are quite
different than what others really think about them).
When we allow ourselves to be isolated from others, we can tend to focus
more on the negatives, because we fail to see the positives in their feelings
toward us We can embellish the negatives so strongly in our own mind,
that we convince ourselves the feelings some people have toward us are
much different than they really are.
Every person has the capacity for lifting the spirits of someone else through
expressions of love. Since there are many different personalities, love can be
expressed in a variety of ways. Sometimes it can be a gentle and caring touch
(there’s just something special about physical contact such as a hug, or a pat on
the back).
Love can be expressed through taking care of the needs of someone. Of course,
love can be expressed verbally, but it can ring hollow when it is not supported
through actions. I’m sure we could list many other ways love can be expressed,
but the bottom line is, love is needed for the health (emotional health, and
possibly physical or mental health as well) of everyone.
Could you imagine what it would be like to worship a God who does not love?
Worship would become nothing more than trying to appease a tyrant in order
to avoid punishment. However, God does love us, and our efforts to obey Him
are our outward expressions of our internal love for Him.
It is easy to love God, because He loved us first. He loved us before we were
mature enough to know anything about Him and His loving desires for us.
The God we worship is not only a good God, but a loving God as well.
Only a loving God would use discipline to steer us in the right direction
whenever we are tempted to follow a path that is harmful, and can lead
to our destruction. Satan’s temptations are subtle and they can gradually
lure us into sin. But God’s love is solid and strong, and provides us with
the capability of resisting the evil one.
The greatest expression of God’s love was when He allowed His Son, Jesus
to go to the cross as a sacrifice for the punishment we, as sinners, deserve.
If we are truly followers of Jesus, then we need to allow His love to flow in
and through us. And, when we do, our love will continue regardless of how
we are treated by others. We can do that because our love is directed toward
God’s creation, and our love doesn’t stop as a result of their actions.
Granted, it can become more difficult to express love toward others when
they have mistreated us, but when we do, we discover that our anger and
resentment can be replaced with peace and joy. Our natural impulse is to
‘get even’, but love changes our attitudes…for the better. We understand
our ability to love the person, even when we disapprove of their actions.
ACTION:
Maybe you are feeling unloved, and you might have felt that way for
quite some time. It could be that you have failed to allow the love of
Christ to permeate your being. When His love consumes us, we learn
that love is not based on someone fulfilling our expectations. Instead
we have a healthy appreciation for their efforts to express love, even
if it is not in the way we would prefer. When we feel the love of God
in our hearts, it is easier to detect the love efforts from others.
God knows that we need love and that could be the reason the word appears
almost 700 times in the Bible. He leaves no doubt of His love for you. If you
could only have love from one source, wouldn’t you prefer His love over the
love of anyone else? It’s only natural to find life more fulfilling when you feel
loved by others, but even in those ‘down’ times, remember that the One who
has created you, loves you.
How are you doing with expressing your love toward others? When is the last
time you have inconvenienced yourself as a way of expressing love to someone
else? Are you guilty of creating a pity party for yourself because you feel nobody
loves you?
Rather than wondering why you are not receiving love, maybe you
should be more focused on how much love you are showing toward
others. The probability of receiving love is increased, whenever we
give love. Love is an outward expression of our inward faith in the
God who loves us.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love for me! No matter
where I am and in whatever situation I am in, You are there,
loving me. Teach me how to let Your love flow through me so
that others will be blessed and will know that my faith in You
is genuine. Thank You, Jesus, for Your ultimate expression of
love when You died on the cross for me. Without Your sacrifice,
I would have no hope for a new life after death. But, because
You loved me and died for me, I know that I will have a better
home awaiting me at the end of my earthly life’s journey. Help
me Lord, to show my love for You through my actions and words.”
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