How does God express his affection for me?
John 3:16For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
1 John 4:9-10God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
God gave up his own son, Jesus, as an expression of his love for us. Jesus suffered and died so that we can live forever with him. This is real love.
Psalm 136:1Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Jeremiah 31:3Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.”
1 Corinthians 2:9-10That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
God desires a daily and eternal relationship with us, and continually pursues us with his love.
Psalm 23:4Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
Romans 8:26The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
Philippians 4:6-7Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 4:16So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
1 Peter 5:7Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
Our heavenly Father shows his affection for us by hearing our prayers and comforting us in our struggles. While he often provides protection and removes obstacles, he will not remove every pain or struggle from our lives. Struggle is necessary for growth. A child learning to bike may scrape her knee, but that doesn’t mean her earthly father isn’t watching, ready to comfort her, bandage her, and encourage her next attempt. In the same way, our heavenly Father watches over us, lifting us up when we fall, bandaging our wounds, and leading us onward in our walk with him.
Matthew 6:31-33“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Matthew 7:9-11“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”
James 1:17Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
1 John 5:14We are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.
God knows our needs and hears our prayers for his provision. Just like a loving earthly father, he delights in giving good gifts to his children. That does not mean he will make us rich or indulge all our desires—such indulgence could harm us more than help us. However, God does rejoice in our happiness, and he often shows his affection through blessings, both physical and spiritual.
Matthew 18:12-14“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.”
Luke 15:18-20“‘I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”
Romans 5:8God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
God shows his affection for us by searching for us when we have lost our way, sacrificing for us when we have done nothing to deserve it, and running to us to welcome us home. He does not wait for us to earn our way to him or grovel at his feet—he welcomes us as his children and celebrates our return.
