8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (ESV)
God loves every single one of us. Countless Scriptures tell us that. He loves us – it’s really as simple as that. It doesn’t matter what we look like, where we came from, how much money we have – the list could go on and on.
Having recently returned from the annual Safari Club convention, I commented to a friend there who has attended for many years that all of the exhibitors are so friendly and nice to every single person. My friend said, “It’s because they have no idea if you have one dollar in your bank account or 50 million dollars. They have no idea if you are coming to talk about spending a bunch of money with them, or just coming to learn more about their organization” (I assure you, I was certainly not there to spend a bunch of money with any one of them).
As I considered this idea, I realized that even though God knows everything about us, He loves us the same. Today’s verse clearly shows how much God loves us, even when we’re still sinners. Think about this – what if all of the Safari Club convention attendees were required to have their bank account balances or net worth written on a label on their shirt? Do you think that at least some of the exhibitors would treat people differently? Probably so. This also challenged me to think about how I love others. If I know something or hear something negative about someone, do I love them less? Probably so.
Throughout the course of our lives, let’s remember that we are created in His image, and loved by Him, even when we were still sinners. Let that be a challenge to love like Jesus. Let that be a challenge to think differently – to think about others without regard for any sort of status. Finally, when we are discouraged and feel like a failure, lets also remind ourselves that God doesn’t think of us a failure. God loves us.
