wednesday morning thoughts

I always have in the back of my mind the nervous thoughts, "does God like me? how does He feel about me?",

and I want of course to be loved and approved by Him.

Truth is, yes He loves me. He feels about me the way a father feels about his child; and He listens and instructs and teaches, and he is always close and never far away, and He won't get fed up and quit.

But if I think for one moment that He keeps me around because I'm good to have around, or that I'm pleasing to Him, the whole of the Gospel is empty to me, and I might as well try to crucify myself for the sins of the world.

God loves me not because I am lovely but because He is love.

We didn't meet in the middle with this; He gave, and I partook.
and so, having been washed in the blood of Jesus, and accepted His payment, His covering over me, I am loved.

God likes me. and there's nothing I can do about it.