God loves *you* best!

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)

The young daughter of sculptress Sally Farnham was once asked which child was her mother’s favorite. The little girl promptly replied: “She loves Jimmy best because he’s the oldest, and she loves Johnny best because he’s the youngest, and she loves me best because I’m the only girl.”

It would be hard to find a better illustration of God’s all-embracing love for His children. It is wonderful to know that God loves each of us personally, regardless of our different backgrounds. Young or old, wealthy or impoverished, educated in college or through the school of hard knocks, God loves everyone. This should not surprise us, because God creates each and every human life—God is Father of us all, and we are all His precious children.

But many people do not realize that God is their Father. One of the reasons that God sent His Son Jesus to live among us was so that Jesus could tell us about our Father who is in heaven. Many people live their lives feeling worthless and unloved, but Jesus came to offer assurance that we are all loved by God, that we are all valued by our heavenly Father, and that He wants each of us to have a close relationship with Him. Through Jesus, God our Father promises to forgive us for our shortcomings, and extends His arms of welcome to every man, woman and child. Please join me in praying:

Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us life as Your children. We thank You for loving us so much that You sent Jesus to tell us about You, to secure forgiveness for our sins by dying on the cross, and to lead us back to You. We thank You for taking us into Your powerful arms and caring for us. Help us to share the wonderful news of Your love with people who don’t know that they too are Your beloved children, so that they can join us in the warmth of Your love. In Jesus’ Name we pray, amen.