”In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”
In this passage Jesus clarifies that your salvation is personal… You should approach God as your Father. He desires to speak with you... Let me clarify… God wants to talk to you.
It would have been a benevolent gesture had God just sent an interpreter. Someone who could bring our petitions to Him… Any opportunity to communicate with God would have been a blessing beyond measure.
But God did much more than that… He sent a sacrifice to destroy the separation between us … His gift imputed holiness to you and created a way for you to have a relationship with Him.
But the most astonishing part - is WHY He did it...
God did all this because He loves you… That is staggering. That statement is so outlandish that Jesus had to clarify it by saying “I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father Himself loves you...”
Maybe we’ve been told that God loves us too many times… so many times that we don’t really hear it anymore ... the statement should make us shudder… It is a shocking truth that should leave us stunned every time we hear it. Being told that God, who knows your every thought, mistake, and shameful failure … looks at you with love, should bring you to your knees.
God allowed His Son to be executed for your transgressions… That is the ultimate demonstration of love. Because you love Jesus and believe that He came from God - The Father Loves YOU.
That’s the gospel… That’s life changing grace … In the midst of the storm, when the world says you’re not enough, wrap your head around the fact that your faith in Jesus has given you new life, and that God adores you… Let that give you confidence and change how you approach God, and how you treat others.
“We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground.” ― Brennan Manning
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