Beloved

Yesterday, we looked at the idea that we have gotten somewhere that when we die, we're going to sit in some sort of film room with God and watch the movie of our lives where He replays all of our sins and errors and makes us account for them. We also talked about some of the flaws of this kind of thinking, particularly as relates to God's promise of forgiveness and Jesus's sacrifice on the Cross. 

But I also said there is another theological danger lurking in this misconception that we have, and there is. When we think about this kind of life replay, we come to think that it's not until we die and stand face-to-face with God that we know what He really thinks about our life. And by extension, what He really thinks about us. 

It's not until we die that we'll know whether God really loves us or merely tolerates us, whether He's proud of us or disappointed in us, whether we were good enough for Him or fell way too short. And well, that makes quite a bit of sense. The one question that most of us seem to carry around as our heaviest weight is the question of our own gnawing insecurity. We all want to know who we are, if we're loved, if we're beautiful, if we're enough. We spend our whole lives asking this question, and there's something that feels right about finally having an answer when this life ends and things just get to settle out and rest in eternity. There's something satisfying about having that day when we just know and stop worrying, stop questioning it all the time. 

The question, then, is...what if that day isn't that day, but it's this one? What if you could have that kind of assurance right now? 

What if you didn't have to wait until you die to know if God loves you or not?

We're so performance-based. We think that love, even God's love, is all about how we do with the life that we're given. What we invest ourselves in. What we succeed at. Whether we did things worth doing and whether we did them well.

But God's been very clear about this from the beginning. He loves you. He loves you to your inmost being, to the very places where He's knit you together. He loves you in your shame and in your brokenheartedness and in your brokenness. He loves you in your triumphs and your trials, your tries and your defeats. He loves you when you get things perfectly right, and He loves you when things couldn't have gone more wrong. 

He loves the way you laugh when something tickles your funny bone. He loves the way you flip your hair or curl your lip or raise your eyebrow when something piques your interest. He loves the way you crack your knuckles when you're nervous or how you have to sing a bunch of song lyrics to soothe your soul before you remember to pray. 

God loves you. The entire story of the Bible is: God loves you. The entire story of the Gospel is: God loves you. The entire story of creation is: God loves you. The entire story of promise and hope and confident assurance is: God loves you. The entire story of amazing grace is: God loves you. If there's one thing that God wants you to know for sure about Him, to never have to question, it's this: God loves you. 

Do you really need to wait until you die to know what God thinks about you? What if you could know right now? 

HE LOVES YOU. 

You are created in His image, held in His hand, wrapped in His heart, and covered by His love. Friend, He is head-over-heels for you. And if you don't think you'll ever be able to know that until you're sitting next to Him in eternity, then you are missing out on the heart of the Christian life now. Because you're missing out on the heart of God now. He's not waiting for you to die so He can love you. 

He loves you, and He wants you to live.