Does God Love Us?

Welcome to Hope Mommies In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be narrowing in on specific truths of the gospel to learn how they direct and inform us in our grief. As we study these truths together, we’d love you to use the comments as a place to dialogue with us about what you are learning and share your answers to the questions below. We pray that you hearts will be encouraged as you dig into God’s Word each week with us! 

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
1 John 3:1a NIV

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There is an intrinsic connection between God’s love and being called children in this verse. It is a link that points to action on the part of God. He came to make a way for us who were children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) to be called—made into—His. Without Christ, we are children of wrath. Our standing in wrath and condemnation before God without Christ is part of how we understand the gospel and come to see our need for it. The gospel is good news to people who are not worthy of it. By ourselves, our sin is something we are responsible for and the burden of sin lays upon our consciences.

God has foreseen spiritual danger that mankind would enter into sin, leading to spiritual death, eventual physical death, and then eternal damnation. And He has made it so that we can escape eternal damnation and be revived to life with Him forever. We were not His children. Contrastingly, Christ had no sin. But God gives us who believe in Christ a new name to take upon ourselves. For Christ took our sin upon Himself.

When we are tempted to believe that the sorrow we endure must mean that God does not care for us, remember this: For those of us who are in Christ, He calls us daughters—His very own. What grace! There does not exist a more lavish love than this. We grieve, yes, but we grieve with hope knowing that as His daughters, we have an inheritance awaiting us that will not spoil or fade. An inheritance that includes all the good and joyful things our precious babies are even now experiencing in His presence.

REFLECT:

1. How does this picture of God’s lavish love direct you in your grief?
2. Read Romans 5:8 and 2 Corinthians 5:21. How did these verses aid in your understanding of God’s love for you?

We would be honored to share your story as a Hope Mom on our blog. On Saturdays we feature Hope Moms’ stories in order to showcase God’s faithfulness even in the midst of such deep sorrow. If you would like to have your story shared on our blog for this purpose, learn more and submit here.