DAY 9 – Loved | Planetshakers

Devotion

We might know that God is love, but this revelation becomes most powerful in our lives when we understand that His love is personal—it is aimed at us! Jesus didn't just die for the world, but He gave up His life for you and for me. And He did it out of love for us. Out of love, God chose me before the creation of the world to be His own, and He paid the highest price to have relationship with me. This was before I had chosen to follow Him or had done anything for Him; He first loved me. He moved heaven and earth to pursue me and to give His life to make relationship with me possible. He adopted me as His child and promised to love me with an everlasting love. His love for me is not based on how well I am doing, but it is constant and unchanging. When I understand how personal this love is, I can read these scriptures as a love letter directly from Him. Knowing and experiencing this love changes the way I see myself. Who I am is no longer based on what other people say of me or how other people love me, but it is based on God's love for me. Because of His love, I can now see myself as chosen, valuable, secure, worthy and covered by His love.

Scripture

Romans 5:5-8 NLT

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Ephesians 2:4-7 NLT

Ephesians 3:17-19 NLT

Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Psalms 36:5-9 NLT

Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights. For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.