A Father’s Love

“But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle (letter). Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.”

II Thessalonians 2:13-17

I imagine most people have at some point felt unloved. There have been times in my life when I felt sorry for myself and said “nobody loves me”. When I said it, I honestly felt that way, even though the statement was not true. I had a loving family and there was no reason for me to feel that way. My family truly loved me, but more than that, God loved me even more. John 3:16 tells us just how much, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We often allow our feelings to get the best of us, and we allow our feelings to dictate what truth is. Feelings were given to us by God, but they were never meant to control us. Unconfessed sin can make us feel unloved as we do not desire God, but instead we hide ourselves like Adam and Eve did in the garden due to the sin and guilt in our life. There are countless verses in the Bible that speak of God’s love for us, but at times, we ignore them and look to our feelings instead of truth.

I read these verses in II Thessalonians and see that from the beginning God loved me. No matter how I feel, it does not negate the fact that God loves me. In the times when my feelings get the best of me, I need to look to my God and thank Him for His amazing love. God who knew all the times I would fail, but yet He loved me with an everlasting love in spite of that. Romans 5:8 states, “But God commendeth (demonstrates) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” I am pretty sure my wife would have never married me if she knew all the times I would disappoint her, the times I would make her cry, and the times I would pick fights with her just because things were not going my way. God knew all the sins I would commit, the times I would reject Him, and the times I would deny Him, but yet He chose to still love me. He loved me enough to die for me, and He loves me enough to continue His work in my life and give me His grace to be like Him.

Where are you today friend? Do you feel as though you are not loved? Do you feel unwanted at times? Are you allowing your feelings to get the best of you? Are you trading your fickle feelings for the stable truth of God’s word? Have you accepted His greatest gift of salvation? Have you put your faith in God’s perfect sacrifice for you? May we not listen to the lies of the devil as he whispers to us that no one loves us. May we not listen to our feelings that lie to us, but instead believe the glorious truth that we were loved from the beginning. May we remember to thank God for His amazing love for us, and may we show Him that we love Him by keeping His commandments.