My husband, Terry, called to tell me God loves him. What was the proof? He had driven through Marysville without having to stop at one red light. That probably does not mean much to anyone who has not driven through this town located on Highway 70 in Northern California. But it is a bit of a bottleneck. One Friday afternoon on my way to Sacramento from my home in the mountains, I spent over a half hour inching through. There are at least seven traffic lights, if not more.

     Of course, Terry knows God’s love is much more than what we label as blessings… those things that delight us and bring us pleasure. I went to Scripture to tally a few of the ways God loves us. Here are a few:

     –He desires a relationship with us.

     If we were all to recite one verse we know by heart it would most likely be John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” ESV

     This great love is explained in Romans 5:8. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ESV

     Sin separates us from God, but He provides a way for the relationship that was severed by Adam and Eve’s disobedience to be restored.

     Ephesians 2:4-5—”But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—” ESV

     –Our restored relationship is tight.

     This great love continues beyond the point of salvation.

“Who can separate us from the love of Christ?” the apostle Paul asks in his letter to the Christian church in Rome (8:35). He answers that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Because we live in a world where we often must stop for red lights along our journey through life it is good to know that God will never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) We are told in this verse that we can be content with what we have because of this promise. In any situation, whether financial, relational, or physical we can look to the Lord for help rather than strive in our own strength.

     –He completes our sanctification.

     It is that great love that completes the sanctification process. Paul writes in Philippians 1:6, “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

     I have undertaken many projects that are not yet completed. Several years ago, I refinished an antique dresser, stripping it of white paint and staining it. However, the mirror that attaches to the dresser remains unfinished. It was very decorative and required more detailed work, so it was stored in the garage for another time.

     Yet God chips away that “old paint” that taints His original vision of us to bring out our beauty. He does it in many ways. One is by correction. Hebrews 12:6 states the Lord disciplines the one he loves. If we were to be left without discipline, we would be illegitimate children.

     And our sanctification reveals the masterpiece God created, the one He envisioned before we were ever born.

     This is extraordinary love and so are those little blessings each day that reveal His presence. Like driving through Marysville without having to stop at any red lights.

Let’s Talk:

1-What are the small ways God has shown his love for you in the past week?

2-In what extraordinary way did you experience God’s love in salvation, sanctification, or during a difficult time when you knew you were not forsaken?