You Are Loved

December 26, 2011

Long before [God] laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. Ephesians 1:4-6 The Message

When Jesus, the King, was born in a feeding trough over 2,000 years ago, God was showing the love and value He places on each one of us.

We were trapped and lost. We couldn’t save ourselves. Jesus became like we are so that we can be made right with God. What happened in that manger and ultimately on the Cross is fully available today. He died to save us, and when we call on the name of Jesus we bring that vital action into the present of our lives.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 NLT

People need breakthrough that only a Mighty God can give; they need an Eternal Father’s unconditional love and the Prince of Peace to save them from the war in their hearts. Jesus is each of those things, and He is available to you.

God sent His Son to save us from our sins. If you’re not a Christian, I encourage you to humble yourself and call out to God. He will respond. Bury your regrets about the past and your fears concerning the future—trust in a faithful God. He loves you.

Pray this prayer: Lord Jesus, You know everything about me. Please forgive me for all the wrong things I’ve ever said or done. I know that You died for my sins and rose from the dead. Please come into my life and be my Lord. Help me to follow You always. Amen.

Merry Christmas!
Pastor Jeff

Copyright © 2011 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.