1 John 4:10, New Living Translation

“This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”

I am so thankful that this faith we have in Christ is not a performance-based thing. What we do doesn't rely upon if Jesus loves us or not. Jesus loves each of us as we are and right where we are. Yes, that is what I said. He loves us as we are and right where we are. He doesn't wait for us to reach "perfection" to get involved in our lives. In fact, He knew us from the very beginning, before the foundation of the world. He knew every choice that we would make that would either take us further from Him or closer to Him. And yet, through it all, He still loves us.

Sometimes I think we are in a big hurry to get to the next big thing. We want to "Keep up with the Jones'." But who said we had to hurry to the next big thing? What if we just sat for a moment to take in the fact that "Jesus Loves Me." What does that mean to you? How does that affect the way you feel, the things you think about, or even the way of just being? What if that's the next "big thing" that we needed to hear? Truly...Jesus loves you...Jesus loves me. Really, stop and think about that.

I have literally sat here for a couple of hours trying to think of something profound to share with you. The reality is that sometimes we just need a little bit of encouragement to get through to the next moment. Sometimes, we just need to know that we are seen, that we are heard, that someone is aware of our presence and they care. My brother or sister, I know I cannot physically see you as you read this, but please know that you are seen, that you are loved, that you are cared about. The things that you think about and weigh you down, they matter.  

“This is real love--not that we loved God, but that he loves us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:10, NLT)

“What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31, NLT)

Perhaps at this point in time you are going through something big, and you don't know what to do. Or perhaps, like me, you are sitting here wondering what the next thing is you should be doing but feeling like you have no direction. I want to encourage us to rest in the Lord, to receive the love that He has for us. Sometimes that is the best thing we can do. It is through Christ that we find our strength. It's through receiving His love that we can give love. It is His presence that changes everything: the atmosphere we find ourselves in, the perspective we are seeing from, and where to go from there.

Jesus invites us to come to Him.  

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’” (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT)

As simple as this message may sound, I pray that you will experience the profound love of Christ that will give you rest and give you strength. I pray that you will experience the profound love of Christ that will not just help you in your current situation, but in every situation. When life begins to get a little hectic, I pray that you would slow down, if only for a moment, and think about it...Jesus loves me.