Gems of Knowledge

Today’s One Year Bible Verses: Jeremiah 10:1–11:23 | Colossians 3:18–4:18 | Psalm 78:56–72 | Proverbs 24:28–29

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God’s Love Hasn’t Left You

God is so beautiful, so holy, and so just. Because of this, I think it can sometimes be hard for us to comprehend how He can love us so completely, even in our sin. We know how often we fall short. We know the mistakes we’ve made, the thoughts we’ve had, and the things we’ve done that we wish we could take back.

And that’s exactly where the enemy loves to creep in and convince us that we’ve gone too far, failed too many times, or somehow become unlovable.

But the Holy Spirit reassured me in today’s Gem of Knowledge:

“There is nothing you can do to make me love you less. I will always love you. Turn to me so you can know my love and kindness, and avoid my wrath towards the wicked. Amen.”

Notice that His love comes first.

“There is nothing you can do to make me love you less.”

What an incredible truth. God’s love isn’t something we earn by behaving well enough, and we don’t suddenly become unlovable when we fail. Even when we wander, disobey, or make a complete mess of things, His desire is that we turn back to Him.

But His love shouldn’t make us comfortable with sin – it should make us want to leave it behind!

In Jeremiah, God’s people had repeatedly turned away from Him and followed idols. God tells Jeremiah, “They have returned to the sins of their forefathers. They have refused to listen to me and are worshiping other gods” (Jeremiah 11:10 NLT).

They turned away from Him and he kept loving them anyway, hoping they would repent and come back to Him.

Psalm 78 tells almost the same story. God had rescued His people, provided for them, and faithfully led them, yet “they kept testing and rebelling against God Most High” (Psalm 78:56 NLT).

God’s anger wasn’t evidence that He had stopped caring about them. In fact, I believe it is quite the opposite. Their sin mattered because He cared about them.They were turning away from the One who loved them and choosing things that would ultimately destroy them.

As a parent, I can understand a tiny piece of this. Loving our children doesn’t mean approving of everything they do. Sometimes love warns. Sometimes love corrects. Sometimes love says, Please don’t go that way because I know where it leads.

God’s love isn’t permission to keep walking toward destruction. It’s an invitation to turn around.

That’s why the words “Turn to me” are so important in today’s Gem.

God isn’t standing far away saying, Get yourself cleaned up, and then maybe I’ll love you again. His love is already there. He’s calling us to come close enough to experience His kindness, forgiveness, protection, and the life He intended for us.

Colossians 3 shows us what turning toward Him begins to produce. Paul talks about how we treat our spouses, children, parents, employers, and others. Then he says, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people” (Colossians 3:23 NLT).

Following Jesus isn’t simply believing that God loves us. His love changes us and it changes the way we live.

And when we fail—and we will—we don’t have to hide from Him. We can turn back, repent, receive His forgiveness, and keep walking with Him.

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” —1 John 1:9 NLT

Maybe you’ve done things you’re ashamed of. Maybe you’ve wandered farther than you ever thought you would. Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that God must be disappointed enough to finally give up on you.

He hasn’t stopped loving you and He has never lost hope that you will come back.

Turn to Him.

Not so He will finally love you, but so you can finally know the love and kindness that have been waiting for you all along. 💎

“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” —Lamentations 3:22–23 NLT

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Action (5 Minutes with God)

Take 5 minutes to be with the Lord today. Ask Him:

• “Lord, what do You want me to know about this personally?”
  • Journal what He gives you through His Holy Spirit.
• Then ask, “What do You want me to do?”
  • Journal what He reveals – then do it!

Let today be a day of turning toward Him, repent, and receive the love and kindness He’s offering you.

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Prayer

Father, thank You that Your love for me isn’t dependent upon my perfection. Help me understand that Your correction doesn’t mean You love me less, but that You love me enough to call me away from what harms me. Show me anything in my life that needs to change, and give me the courage to turn toward You. I want to know Your love, Your kindness, and Your ways more deeply every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

To read more 5 Minutes with God devotionals click here.