Many times, when we are expressing our love and gratitude in a group, we say something like “I love all of you so much.” We are so afraid we will miss someone, or that it will take too long to individualize our thanks, that we generalize our words to be inclusive of all those present. However, we all love to hear our name when someone is expressing love rather than being lumped into a group. In John 3:16, the Bible says “God so loved the world.” That is a powerful statement to include every man, woman, boy, and girl. While it is true that God loves everyone, we can be sure that God knows our name, and that we will be treated as an individual. He is a personal God with a personal love for every human being. While this may be hard for us to imagine, it doesn’t change the fact that it is true.
Before the world began God knew that mankind would sin. He knew our propensity to sin, and He made a plan. A plan that allowed His holiness to be satisfied and His love demonstrated. In Romans 5:6-8, Paul teaches the truths about God’s love toward us. Christ died for the ungodly. He reminds us that some would die for the righteous, and some might die for a “good man,” but only Jesus would die for everyone. Everyone is an individual. Those who have accepted God’s Son as their personal Savior have a personal, one-on-one, relationship with Him.
Romans 5:6-8 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Once we are His child, He treats us as a loving Father. He teaches us, He protects us, He loves us immensely, He is always available as if I were His only child, and when we stray, He comes after us. This last action is illustrated in Luke 15:1-7. Here we have Jesus teaching the parable of the lost sheep.
Luke 15:1-7 “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost until he finds it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise, joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”
This parable reveals the heart of God for His child that has wandered away, or for the one who has never been saved. Either way, God’s desire to bring us to Himself is important to Him. In the parable, the Shepherd has 100 sheep, and one is missing. The Shepherd loves each one intimately, he doesn’t take the attitude of, “I’ve got 99 sheep that’s pretty good.” No, He pursues after the one that is lost. All his attention is on the lost one until he finds the lost sheep! God reveals to us how personal and merciful His love is toward us.
When we are not walking with God, we are leaving ourselves wide open to the snares of Satan. We are like the sheep, helpless and defenseless, subject to the wild animals that desire to devour us. We are wandering in darkness with no protection or direction in our lives.
Notice in the parable what happens when the Shepherd finds the one lost sheep. He picks him up, carries the sheep on His shoulders, and rejoices. It’s as if he understands the weariness this sheep must be feeling from wandering alone with no hope. He holds the sheep on his shoulders, next to Him and far away from the ground where he could be attacked. He gives rest to the weary sheep that has been wandering.
Jesus is our Shepherd who picks us up and shoulders the burdens that drag us down. He doesn’t just offer help; He offers to carry our burdens, and He is perfectly capable of doing so. His next action is to share the joy of finding the straying sheep. He calls His friends and neighbors together to celebrate! He rejoices over us!
We are not just a group of people created in His image. We are individuals, each unique and important to God. When we are sinners lost without a Savior, He draws us and convicts us of our sin, desiring that we would repent and turn to Him. When we are His child, those who have accepted Him as their Savior, He seeks to bring us back to Himself when we stray.
How great is a Father who knows everything about us and yet, loves us and pursues us, as an individual? In Psalm 139:13-14, we see God’s love for us from conception. Before our mothers knew about us, God was tenderly forming us and loving us!
Psalm 139:13-14 “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”
I am His and He is mine. He loves me, protects me, and pursues me as an individual. What an awesome thought to meditate on today. He loves me!
