"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV I was sitting in church one Wednesday night, overwhelmed with anger. Someone had hurt me, and I felt they weren't acting the way they should. I thought my sins weren't as bad as theirs, so I felt justified. But then, the Lord gently reminded me that I was wrong. I realized I was judging this person, and that was a sin in itself. God is holy, and my behavior was no better than theirs. I felt convicted and was moved to tears. The Holy Spirit whispered to me, "If you really love them, you would pray for their best, regardless of their behavior." That realization hit me hard. I admitted to myself that I didn’t truly love them as I claimed. My actions showed that I wanted them to act a certain way for my benefit. I remembered the verses from Numbers 6 and knew I needed to pray for G...
Let’s think about the Bible verse from 1 John 4:10 (KJV): "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." This shows us God’s incredible love for us.
Imagine the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32). The son mistreated his father, wasting his inheritance. When he finally returned home, it wasn’t because he loved his father; he was simply hungry. He thought he could at least work as a servant to earn his keep.
But God wants us to know that even when our reasons are selfish, He still welcomes us with open arms. He doesn't wait for us to be perfect; He runs to help us in our time of need and showers us with His undeserved love.
The Bible teaches us that it’s not about our love for God, but His love for us. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10 KJV).
Some people think that God only accepts us if we are perfectly sorry and have confessed all our sins. However, in the parable, it’s the father who initiates reconciliation. He runs to his son, embraces him, and forgives him before the son can even apologize.
This story shows us God’s heart—full of grace, forgiveness, and love. True repentance comes from experiencing His goodness. When we know we are already forgiven because of Jesus, our confession comes from gratitude, not trying to earn forgiveness. We shift our focus from our sins to God’s grace.
This changes our relationship with God. It moves us from following rules to enjoying a loving relationship with our Father. He doesn’t demand perfection; He gives us perfection through Jesus. No matter how many mistakes you make, don’t be afraid of Him. He loves you and is always ready to embrace you.
Take this truth to heart and feel the depth of your Father’s love.
Blessings,