God's Love for Us

I listened to a man the other day who was telling about his love for his son who has Down's syndrome. He was telling about the special issues and challenges that they have. As he finished telling about how he sometimes has to calm his son down at night by laying down on his bed with him, he described how he doesn't love his son in spite of his Down's syndrome but more because of it. He stated that God had shown him that God loves him like that too – loves all of us like that – not in spite of our problems but more because of them. I'm so glad that God loves me not just in spite of my problems, my sin, but He loves me because of them. Those problems increase my dependence on Him. They show me how much I need Him. They also help me turn to His Word to learn and grow from Him.

What does the Bible say about being “poor in spirit”? In Matthew, chapter five, verse 3, Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” When we realize our sin and our need for a Savior, it causes us to recognize our own poverty of spirit. Once we recognize this and agree with God about our sin and ask His forgiveness, we are promised the kingdom of heaven.

I know that as a Christian parent, my heart's desire is to see my children come to Christ. I pray for this daily! A friend of mine e-mailed these verses to me and she called it, Wednesday's Wisdom, "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10). I love that! It has helped me to use scripture in my prayer concerning my children's salvation.

We are so blessed to have a God who loves us as richly as He does. Not only does He love us even more because of our wretchedness, but He gladly gives us scripture that helps us pray for the salvation of those we love. And, He gives His Word to help us learn more about Him and grow and stretch our spiritual wings. How truly wonderful God is!

Blessings,

Lori