8 Things To Be Thankful For - You Are Loved
That’s what we should be thankful for, today. You, my friend, are loved. That is an amazing thing to ponder, isn’t it?
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8 Things To Be Thankful For - You Are Loved
Here’s something we don’t hear every day: “I love you.” In this world, we have a lot going on. Family can’t always be there, churches don’t always know how to help us, politics are toxic, workplaces and schools can be overly stressful and the prices at the grocery store fuels the anxiety in our lives.
Way back in the days of Jeremiah, the people of God were going through a lot, too. You think we have it bad? Their land was invaded, their cities destroyed and the temple was razed to the ground. Their nation lay in ruins, everything they had was taken from them and they were marched off, in bondage to a foreign empire. What did God have to say to His people?
Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”
Those words draw a picture of a God who loves even when times get really hard. Even through the darkest valleys, God is with His people. In that message to Jeremiah, there are two words that should really make us sit up and take notice. The first of those is the word for love.
The Hebrew word “ahabah” is often used to emphasize not just affection but loyalty and faithfulness. It is a word of promise and covenant making. God is saying that He’ll always be there, through the valleys and on the mountaintop. His love is promised and He is faithful.
But, there’s also that word lovingkindness. That word is a little bit different. It’s the word that signifies God’s mercy. Mercy is the foundation of all of God’s goodness and love because it means that He doesn’t just FEEL love, He ACTS in accordance with His love.
You should read Psalms 136 when you have a couple of moments. That chapter of the Bible mentions 26 times that God’s mercy is forever. It repeats that phrase over and over, making absolutely certain that you don’t miss it.
That’s what we should be thankful for, today. You, my friend, are loved. That is an amazing thing to ponder, isn’t it?
