1 John 4:16-17, John 15:13-17, 1 John 4:10

Liz Dumain

'God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day-our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear.'
1 John 4:16-17 The Message

I was talking with the Centre Director at Swindon Youth for Christ yesterday who told me a story about a young girl he'd seen walking down a train recently. She had a rucksack on her back with all kinds of art and graffiti on it. Right in the middle of the artwork was the simple phrase, 'Love me'. Phrase or plea?

This girl's simple plea sings out like a prophetic word for a generation of young people who are crying out to be loved.

And it's not just the young. We all have a deep inner need to be loved; to know that there is someone out there who thinks of us all the time, cares for us deeply, wants the best for us and believes in us completely. Most of us try to fill this need with relationships, friends and if we can't find people to fill that longing, we turn to our jobs, possessions, activities or just 'stuff'. The problem is that none of these things or people can ever fill that longing inside us, because whether we recognise it or not, that longing is for the God who created us, knows us and always has us on his mind.

Throughout the Bible God consistently calls us to him as the answer to our longings. He knows how much we long to be loved and he spells out the answer to our cry of, 'Love me', with, 'I do'.

John 15:13-17 couldn't spell it out more clearly.

'I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I'm no longer calling you servants because servants don't understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I've named you friends because I've let you in on everything I've heard from the Father. You didn't choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won't spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you. But remember the root command: Love one another.'

What we know and understand of God is what we will reflect and share of him. If we know deep in our soul just how much God loves and cares for us - then that is what we will share and reflect.

I read this recently, 'Most of us imagine that in God's eyes we are just one of millions. We know most people don't think we are important and so we assume God thinks of us in a similar way. But then again, God is not like
'most people'. We feel that God has favorites and we think we're a fair
way down the list, but we are about to see this is one way where feelings do not correspond to reality. To God, you are special'. Grantley Morris

In 1984 The Smiths released a song called, 'How Soon Is Now', that contained the lines 'I am Human and I need to be loved. Just like everybody else does'.

Are you feeling unloved today? If so, go back to any of the 66 books in the Bible that sing the eternal love song of God's love for you, and hear his plea that we might know how much he loves us, and love each other as reflectors of the love that we've received.

'This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us'. 1 John 4:10