“…Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.” (Jeremiah 31:3, NKJV)
When I was a little girl, growing up in the Bedford (IN) Free Methodist Church, I absolutely loved going to kids church.
Our two leaders, Ivan Hunter and Donna Cummings, not only taught me important Bible stories, but that Jesus loved me unconditionally. Ivan would share his salvation testimony every chance he got, telling us that if Jesus could love him, then He could love anyone.
And, sweet Donna took every opportunity to build us up with words of encouragement. I can still hear her saying, “You kids are wonderful. Do you know how I know that to be true? Because God don’t make no junk!”
I needed to hear that.
In fact, we all need to hear that–not just during our growing up years, but today, and every day. We need to know that we weren’t a mistake. We need to know that we were formed by the Master, and, to quote Miss Donna, we need to know that “God don’t make no junk.”
We need to love ourselves. Not in a self-absorbed, arrogant sort of way, but rather in a grateful-to-God-for-creating-us sort of way.
It’s a well-known fact that unless you truly love yourself, you can’t really love others or even receive love from other people. So, it’s time to let the self-love fest begin.
If you’ve never felt very good about yourself, or if you were raised in a home where love wasn’t outwardly shown, you need to understand just how much God loves you.
Author and Pastor Rick Warren said it so well: “God is love. He didn’t need us. But he wanted us. And that is the most amazing thing.”
Think about that for a moment–the Creator of the Universe wanted you! He loves you! In fact, he loved you so much that he sent his only son to die on a cross so that you would have eternal life and never be separated from him.
God just flat loves us.
We don’t deserve it. We can’t earn it. Yet, He freely gives it to us.
I challenge you to look up the following scriptures and meditate on their message: Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:13-16, John 3:16-17, Romans 5:8 and Romans 8:38-39.
So, the next time you’re feeling unlovable, think on those truths and say out loud: “I am a child of the Most High King, and he adores me.” And you might add, “I’m wonderful because God don’t make no junk.”
Pray this with me:
Father, I love You, and I’m so thankful that You love me. Help me, Lord, to see myself through Your eyes and to begin to grasp just how much You love me so that I might love myself and others more and more each day. In the Mighty Name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.
