Who Am I?
I was reading a book in which the author told his readers to think about the fact we are a part of God's life. If we are Christians, we know God is a part of our life, but do we realize we are a part of His?
I closed my eyes and tried to imagine how God saw me as a part of his life. I saw in my mind a beach with thousands of pebbles. The pebbles were people. God bent down and his hand was sifting through the pebbles. He came to mine - a pebble that was me - he picked it up for a moment and then threw it aside.
I opened my eyes and realized that though I have thought I do believe God loves me - I don't. This brought tears to my eyes. I prayed God would help me believe in his love for me. I know that to love him in the best way possible, I need to believe he loves me too.
I suppose I can't believe in real love for myself because my father abused me when I was very young. That just screwed me up for love and trust. But, even if deep down I don't think He loves me, my intellect knows he is with me and will save me. I'm sure that is enough for him.
Who Is God?
God is love. That's what the Bible says about him. He doesn't just love - he IS love. He is where love originates. He is the one who fills our hearts with love. He is love personified.
"I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness."
Jeremiah 31:3
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 1John 4:7-12
I was reading a book in which the author told his readers to think about the fact we are a part of God's life. If we are Christians, we know God is a part of our life, but do we realize we are a part of His?
I closed my eyes and tried to imagine how God saw me as a part of his life. I saw in my mind a beach with thousands of pebbles. The pebbles were people. God bent down and his hand was sifting through the pebbles. He came to mine - a pebble that was me - he picked it up for a moment and then threw it aside.
I opened my eyes and realized that though I have thought I do believe God loves me - I don't. This brought tears to my eyes. I prayed God would help me believe in his love for me. I know that to love him in the best way possible, I need to believe he loves me too.
I suppose I can't believe in real love for myself because my father abused me when I was very young. That just screwed me up for love and trust. But, even if deep down I don't think He loves me, my intellect knows he is with me and will save me. I'm sure that is enough for him.
Who Is God?
God is love. That's what the Bible says about him. He doesn't just love - he IS love. He is where love originates. He is the one who fills our hearts with love. He is love personified.
"I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness."
Jeremiah 31:3
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 1John 4:7-12
