This post is part of a 40-Day Prayer Journey through the season of Lent. Click here to learn more and read other posts in the series.
“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37).
Do you ever feel like Jesus’ love for you is too good to be true?
“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so” is how the children’s song goes . . . but maybe doubt, guilt, and shame whisper other things to you: How can Jesus possibly love you? Think of what you just did—or what you did all those years ago. There’s no way you’re worthy of Jesus’ love; there’s no way you can call yourself a Christian.
The devil uses our feelings of doubt, guilt, and shame to try to drive us away from Jesus. He tries to get us to focus so much on our sins that we forget our Savior and his great love for us.
It’s true—we’ve never been worthy of Jesus’ love for us. There’s nothing we can possibly do to earn it from him. But Jesus’ love isn’t too good to be true. It isn’t like a love tainted by sin in this world. It isn’t earned. It’s given. Freely and fully.
Whenever doubt, guilt, and shame overwhelm you, focus on what God says to you in his Word. Focus on this promise from the Savior himself: “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37).
By God’s grace, we’ve come to our Savior and have fallen at his feet. We bring nothing to the table, nothing to offer him in exchange for his love. All we have are the filthy rags of sin, which by all rights should merit nothing but wrath and punishment.
Our Savior did something else—something amazing that only he could do.
Jesus took those filthy rags off us and put them on himself. He bore our sins on the cross, suffering the wrath and punishment we deserve. He died for us. He rose triumphant. And now he freely gives us his robes of righteousness and says, “This is how much I love you. I will never drive you away from my side. You are my dearly loved brother, my dearly loved sister.”
Jesus’ love isn’t too good to be true, dear Christian. It’s yours by God’s grace through faith in your Savior Jesus. Through his Word and sacraments, you get to see his love for you on full, vivid display.
Today, as you pray, thank God for the grace he has shown you by making you his own dear child. Pray for all of God’s children—pray that God would draw them to himself through his Word and sacraments and keep them safe in his arms.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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