He Loves Me: Learning To Live In The Father's Affection by Wayne JacobsenDo you find yourself picking through circumstances like a child plucking daisy petals, attempting to figure out whether or not God loves you? If you find yourself least certain of His love in those critical moments when you most need to trust Him, there is hope for you.
Where? At the one event in human history that forever secured your place in the Father's heart- the cross where Jesus allowed sin and shame to be consumed in His own body so that you could freely embrace a relationship with His Father. There you will discover that what He always wanted was not the fearful subservience of slaves, but the loving affection of sons and daughters.
If your spiritual life feels more like performance than freedom, like an empty ritual than a joyful journey, let Wayne help you discover:
- A Father who loves you more than anyone on this planet ever has or ever will
- A growing confidence in His affection for you through whatever circumstances you face
- A vibrant relationship with Him that will free you from the torment of shame while it transforms you to live as His child on the earth.
Wayne Jacobsen wanders the world, helping people sort out how to live deeply in the life of Jesus. Formerly a contributing editor to Leadership Journal, he has written numerous books on spiritual intimacy and relational church life, inclucing So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore with his friend Dave Coleman. You can find his other books, blog, and articles at lifestream.org, and listen to his weekly podcast at thegodjourney.com. He resides in Moorpark, CA, with his wife, Sara.
My Thoughts:
Many of us struggle daily with the idea that God will always love us no matter what. We think we have to first earn His love and then fight to keep it. We fear doing something wrong causing us to lose His love.
I admit that I've struggled with it. I know that God loves me, but when I do something I feel like I shouldn't have done I wonder if He still loves me as much or is He angry with me and loves me just a little less. At times I've felt like I needed to do something to make up for my transgression so that I can gain favor in His eyes again. I know that when this happens it's simply my guilt tearing away at me making me feel this way and that God really does love me unconditionally. But when you're dealing with the guilt sometimes it's hard to remember that.
He Loves Me describes the way we think of obtaining and keeping God's love as a child picking petals off of a daisy. "If I'm good enough, He'll love me. But if I'm not good enough, He won't." This isn't the way God's love works and I'm glad that the author takes us on a chapter-by-chapter guide to show us that.
