June 18, 2024 Devo

God is FOR you. Did you know that? If you grew up like me, it might be a new concept. I grew up believing that God was an angry God. He was a God who was always upset with me, always ready to punish me, and no matter what I did, it wasn’t quite enough for Him. I came to believe that I was supposed to be perfect for God, and I would burn forever in hell if I wasn’t. I never understood that God was for ME. But He is.
Our verse today is another wonderful insight into the heart of God. Jesus came as an expression of God’s compassion for us. Not as a response of His anger with us. God could see how lost we were. It was obvious to Him that we were spiraling deeper and deeper into the darkness, and we had no ability to pull ourselves out. God could have let us go. He could have let us continue to self-destruct. He could have thrown up His Hands, turned His back on us, and given up. But He didn’t. After centuries of reaching out, intervening, rescuing and restoring, and sending messenger after messenger, God played His final card. He sent His one and only Son as an ambassador of Hope, as a sacrifice of Grace, and a way out of the hole that we had dug for ourselves. Jesus was the living, breathing, evidence that God is neither angry nor indifferent toward us. He is for us. REALLY for us.
Remind yourself of that fact today. When life doesn’t go the way you want it to go, it’s easy to blame God. When God doesn’t respond to your prayers the way you want Him to respond, it’s easy to think He doesn’t care. But He does. He cares A LOT. In fact, He cares so much that He doesn’t abandon us when life gets hard. He walks through those tough times with us. He cares so much that He doesn’t give us everything we ask for, just like we don’t give our kids everything they ask for. He cares so much that everywhere you go today, He is right there with you. He cares so much that He makes Himself readily available to you for guidance, wisdom, comfort, or strength. God is with you. God is cheering for you. God is watching over you, calling out to you, and working on your behalf in ways you will never know. So take a deep breath, and say these words out loud. “God is FOR me.” That truth changes EVERYTHING. That’s God’s Word for you today.