Yes, Jesus Loves Me

How is it that adding a child to your family has a way of transforming your home? Children change our priorities. They change our sleep patterns. They change our finances. They change our relationships. They change pretty much everything! Mostly, however, they change our hearts. I had never experienced the depth of love I now know until I added children to my life.


The experience of raising children has given me a better understanding of how much God must love me. It's amazing to think that no matter how much I love my children, God's love for His children is even greater.


In Matthew 7:9-11 it says, "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (emphasis added). If we know how to give good things to our kids, just think how much better God is at loving His children.


God loves you and wants to reach out to you. Don't be afraid of Him. Think how much you love your children and then remember--He's much better at this than I could ever be! Take a look at Romans 8:31-39 from The Message translation of the Bible. You can't deny how much God loves you when you read this.

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us--who was raised to life for us!--is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture...None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing--nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable--absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us (emphasis added).

So do you get it? . . . God loves you! Thank Him and live like a loved child today because...you are!


Lord Jesus, thank You for Your love. It is hard for me to accept that You love me so much when I feel so undeserving. As I love my children, continue to open my eyes to see how much you love me. I want to rest in Your love. I don't have to try to prove myself to You. You did all the work onthe cross, so that all I have to do is focus on You! In Your Name I pray, amen.


adapted from Sharon and Laurie's book Hold You, Mommy

Why I LOVE God: Because He Loved Me First Part 1

All the World is a Coloring Book!

My kids have a book that we’ve read for years now. Our last, a 7 year-old boy, is the one enjoying it now. It’s called, God Thought of It First. It tells about all kinds of things that are common to us that God thought of first (i.e. helicopters – hummingbirds).

I was thinking about all the things I love about God. The main one is that He thought of it first. He thought of loving us before we ever knew how to love. One of the ways he shows us this amazing love is through nature. For the next few months, I want to focus on a certain way that God illustrates His love for us. These are great things to share with our kids to show them that God loves us through the details of life and nature. Is reminds us that - He loved us first.

One of the things I love about God: He gave us color.

Everything could have been black and white…not nearly as interesting as lime-green and fuchsia! At the Autry house, we’ve been watching old TV shows on DVD, some of which are in black and white. Though the lack of color can make people more attractive, the lack of it causes everything in the background to be – well – in the background. Things go unnoticed.

If God had made only black and white, flowers, birds, hair, eye and skin color, wouldn’t be nearly as interesting or enjoyable. But if you think about how long it takes to actually color a picture, black and white would have been much easier. The only explanation, then, is that God loves us enough to make the world an interesting, beautiful place to be.

Why not grab a black and white crayon for each of your family members (even your teens – coloring is therapeutic!) and sit down to color. When they ask for the rest of the box of crayons you’ll have a great opportunity to share that God loved us enough to make color. What would we miss if color were eliminated from our world?

“For all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him..” Colossians 1:16 (NET)