Make Believe or Faith

As I have struggled with this idea of God loving me personally, I have had some very interesting thoughts that at first I thought were absurd.

I have gone through times of feeling as thought God doesn't love me. And during those times I was frustrated with myself. I mean seriously, I am a Christian. I have sang "Jesus Loves Me" since I was a little bitty girl. Why am I questioning this? My thoughts went to it seems as if I have to pretend or make believe- like I have to manufacture the feelings of being loved by God. That just doesn't seem right. I just continued to work on processing these thoughts.

I spent some time looking up Bible verses on love - trying to understand God's love better. That is when I came across the verses in Ephesians 3 about the "width and length and depth and height" of God's love. These things helped by I kept mulling over these ideas.

I knew God loved me- why didn't I feel hat God loved me and then one day it hit me - this is where faith comes in! I am not having to manufacture God's love- I only have to believe the Word of God- that is faith.

There is a blessing to those who have not seen but believe and we find it in the book of John:

Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!"

27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."

28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 

~John 20:24-29                           

 

It's not make believe or fairy tales - it's faith! And even it is provided by God!

 

                                                             looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.                             ~Hebrews 12:2

 

Romans 12:3 tells us "...God has dealt to each one a measure of faith...."

 

So I don't have to make believe or pretend - I can choose to have faith. I can believe what the Word of God tells me.

 

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

~John 3:16

 

                                For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~Romans 8:38-39

                           

 

I choose faith!