Session 30

How much does God love you?

From Jeremiah: A 33-Day Devotional

“Son, you disobeyed me. I love you too much to allow you to disobey.”

Every parent faces this moment, and it’s not easy. Children disobey and misbehave, and we may want to shield them from punishment. However, it’s better to address misbehavior than to excuse it so that child can one day be an adult who can deal with the mistakes he or she makes.

Sin has consequences and causes real trouble in our lives. God’s response to sin is like a parent’s response to a misbehaving child. God loves us more than an earthly parent loves a child. God hates sin because when we choose it, sin separates us from Him and destroys what’s good in our lives.

Without God, the people of Israel were broken and hopeless because they insisted on their own way (Jeremiah 30:12-17). But that’s not the end of the story.

God loves us too much to let us stay separated from Him. He corrects us, just as a parent corrects a child, and that discipline causes us to grow because, through it, we learn to trust God and not ourselves.

God is for us and always has something better in store for us. At the time of Jeremiah, the Israelites had no idea that God in the flesh—Jesus—would be the one to pay the price for their sins so they could be reunited with God.

God loves us that much.

Reflect:

• Is there something you sense God correcting in your life? What is it?
• Are you struggling with a recurring sin? Confess to someone you can trust, like a Christian friend or someone in your Group, and ask them to help you work through it.
• Have you asked Jesus to take your sins and change you? If not, you can give your life to Him today. Visit www.newspring.cc/salvation for more information.