Conclusion of Jehovah Actively Demonstrates His Love

Jehovah is empathetic. What is empathy? One faithful elderly Christian said: "Empathy is your pain in my heart." Is Jehovah really affected by our pain? We read regarding the sufferings of his people Israel: "During all their distress it was distressing to him." (Isaiah 63:9) Not only did Jehovah see their troubles; he felt for the people. Just how intensely he feels is illustrated by Jehovah's own words to his servants: "He that is touching you is touching my eyeball." (Zechariah 2:8) How painful that would be! Yes, Jehovah feels for us. When we hurt, he hurts.

No balanced Christian would use such evidence of God's love and esteem as an excuse for pride or egotism. The apostle Paul wrote: "Through the undeserved kindness given to me I tell everyone there among you not to think more of himself than it is necessary to think; but to think so as to have a sound mind, each one as God has distributed to him a measure of faith." (Romans 12:3) Another translation says here: "I would say to every one of you not to estimate himself above his real value, but to make a sober rating of himself." (A Translation in the Language of the People, by Charles B. Williams) So while we bask in the warmth of our heavenly Father's love, let us be sound in mind and remember that we neither earn nor deserve God's love. -Luke 17:10.

Let each of us do everything in our power to reject all of Satan's lies, including the lie that we are worthless or unlovable. If your experiences in life have taught you to see yourself as an obstacle too daunting even for God's immense love to surmount, or your good works as too insignificant even for his all-seeing eyes to notice, or your sins as too vast even for the death of his precious Son to cover, you have been taught a lie. Reject such lies within all your heart! Let us continue to assure our hearts with the truth expressed in Paul's inspired words: "I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor power nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God's love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:38, 39.

Next time: "The Tender Compassion Of Our God"

Draw Close To Jehovah, 2002