The Father Himself Loves His Children
đź“– “For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.“
—John 16:27 (NKJV)
Jesus had been teaching His disciples that they could pray to the Father in His name. Perhaps they might have wondered whether Jesus would need to persuade the Father to listen to them.
Jesus told them something wonderful:
“The Father Himself loves you.“
Jesus was not telling them that He had to convince an unwilling Father to care about them. The Father had sent the Son because He loved the world. Jesus said earlier, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16, NKJV).
Our salvation reveals the love of both the Father and the Son.
The Father sent His Son.
The Son willingly gave His life.
Jesus’ disciples had received Him, loved Him, and believed that He came from God. Because they belonged to Christ, they enjoyed a special relationship with the Father. They were not strangers trying to persuade God to notice them. They were welcomed as His own.
Everyone who repents and believes in Jesus is brought into God’s family. John wrote, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12, NKJV).
That means you do not become God’s child merely because He created you. God made every person, and He loves the world He sent His Son to save. But Scripture calls those who receive Christ and believe in His name the children of God.
Being God’s child is a gift received through faith in Jesus.
Sometimes you may wonder whether God truly cares about you.
Perhaps a prayer was not answered in the way you hoped. Something painful happened. You made a mistake and now feel ashamed. Someone else appears more talented or important, and you wonder whether God notices that person more than He notices you.
Your feelings may change from one day to another.
God’s character does not.
If you belong to Christ, the Father’s love for you does not depend upon winning, earning the highest grade, impressing others, or never making a mistake. You cannot make Him love you more by being more successful, and another person’s talents do not make Him love you less.
But the Father’s love does not mean He approves of everything His children do.
A loving parent corrects a child who is moving toward danger. In the same way, God disciplines His children for their good, so they may share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:6, 10). His correction is not proof that He has stopped loving them. It is one way His fatherly love protects and trains them.
When you sin, you should not excuse it by saying, “God loves me anyway.” Love does not make sin harmless. Sin grieves God and harms us and others.
Instead, His love should lead you to confession.
You can come honestly to Him, agree with what He says about your sin, and receive the forgiveness He has promised through Christ. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9, NKJV).
The earliest Christian children may have lived among people who worshiped many different gods. Those gods were often described as distant, angry, unpredictable, or needing to be persuaded through offerings and ceremonies.
Christian children learned something completely different.
The one true God had sent His Son to save sinners.
Believers did not need to earn His attention or make Him care. Through Christ, they could approach the God who already loved them as their Father.
You can know the same truth.
When you pray, you are not sending words toward a God who barely notices you. When you read Scripture, you are hearing the Word of the Father who knows what is good for you. When He corrects you, He is not treating you as unwanted. When life is painful, His love has not disappeared.
The greatest proof of His love is not that everything in your life will always feel good.
The greatest proof is that He gave His Son for sinners.
Knowing Christ means I do not have to wonder whether the Father is willing to love those who come through His Son.
Jesus has told me plainly:
“The Father Himself loves you.“
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus and for welcoming everyone who believes in Him into Your family. When my feelings make me wonder whether You care, remind me that Your love is revealed through Your Son. Keep me from trying to earn Your love through success or comparing myself with others. Help me receive Your correction, confess my sin honestly, and trust that Your instructions are good. Teach me to approach You with confidence because, through Jesus, I am not a stranger but Your child. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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