How Much Does God Love You? T-h-i-s Much

One of the ways in which I express love for my grandkids is this – I extend my arms wide open and then I say, “I love you t-h-i-s much!” At the very least, the little ones grin. Often they repeat my words and actions, and then they give me a big hug. So precious.

I want my grandbabies to know beyond a doubt that I’m crazy-in-love with them. It thrills me to know that our heavenly Father desires to communicate the same message to us, His kids. One of His methods of doing so is through His written Word.

Take a few moments to read and ponder His love for you as expressed in Ephesians 1:4-8:

⁴Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. ⁵His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.⁶So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. ⁷He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. ⁸He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”

God loved you always

Imagine—God loved and chose you as His child before He even created the world. His plan from before time began was to adopt you into His family. This gave Him great pleasure. But wait—there’s more! He poured His kindness on you through Jesus Christ, His dearly beloved Son.

How much does our heavenly Father love us? Enough to show us what He’s like by sending Jesus from heaven to earth in human form. Enough to make Jesus—the innocent One—pay the death penalty we deserve for our sin. Enough to turn His face from Jesus as He hung on the cross for our sake.

God, in human form, wants us to know He’s crazy-in-love with us. So He stretched His arms wide and allowed soldiers to pound nails through His hands into a roughly hewn cross. “I love you t-h-i-s much,” His actions declared.

May we respond with gratitude. May we respond with joyful obedience to His directives. And may we respond with a determination to trust Him in all things even when we don’t understand.