Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham
At our house we have three wonderful children who share our home with Shiloh, our puppy, who is 75 percent beagle and 25 percent goat. Let’s just say he eats anything he can get his snout around when we are not looking. He has tried and tested us on every front.
There is one reason Shiloh has remained a fixture in our home. Her name is Julia, our beautiful 4-year-old daughter. Shiloh loves Julia and Julia loves Shiloh. They are best buds.
I will often ask Julia how much she loves her mommy and daddy. Her answers often amuse me. She will often say something like, “More than peanut butter” or “To the moon 150 million times.” However, this week her response astounded me. As usual, I asked her how much she loved her mother and me. In her most grown-up 4-year-old voice, she said, “More than Shiloh.” I chuckled and thought, “I know that is a bunch.” As I smiled I said, “Well, that must mean you love Mommy and me the most.” She retorted with a grin, “Silly Daddy. I love God the most and He loves me the most.”
It really is that simple. It is so simple that a child can understand the love of the Creator. Paul reminded the people in Rome, “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). God’s love for us is amazing, overwhelming, incredible, indescribable and infinite. However, may we never forget that it is simply true.
Today God’s love for you is true and available. The love of God is simple and meant to be simply applied to our lives. We often want to make it more complicated than it really is. Let me illustrate in two questions. Is there anything my daughter could do to make me love her more? On the same note, is there anything my daughter could do to make me love her less? The answer to both is obviously no.
You can be a child of the King. All you must do is accept by faith the free gift of grace through Jesus Christ. Friend, God is calling you. He loves you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to give His life for you. Won’t you come home to Him?
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