How Much Does God Love You?

Fear is everywhere in our world. All you have to do is listen to the news to unleash a good dose of fear. For many people, fear consumes them and is the source of many of their decisions. A lot of mental illness is rooted in fear. So what is the antidote to fear? There’s a verse in the Bible that talks about how to get rid of fear. In 1 John 4:18 (NIV) we read:

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. 

I don’t know anything that cures fear other than the truth that we are deeply loved. This is the truth of who you are. You are deeply loved by God. This is the heart of your identity, and this is the antidote to fear. Knowing you are loved removes fear. God loves you more than anyone else is capable of loving you. He loves you as His child. As a good parent, He wants to give you everything you need. You might ask, how much does God love me? Maybe you think He loves other people more than He could love you. Listen to what Jesus says when he is talking about you to His Father in John 17:23: 

“The world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Take a close look at the words of Jesus. Do you see what He is saying? God the Father loves you as much as He loves Jesus! You may need to pause on that thought to take in the reality of it. Many of us would agree that God loves us, but sadly, we don’t understand how much He loves us. He doesn’t love others more. He doesn’t even love Jesus more! Jesus isn’t His favorite! We are not second-rate children in the family! We are deeply loved by God and He loves us as much as He loves Jesus. Jesus is not only our Savior and Lord but our older brother. Listen to what Jesus says about you being His brother or sister in Hebrews 2:11:

Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

This is the gift that Jesus gives us when we trust Him. We are adopted into His family and become Jesus’ sibling and receive all the benefits available to Him—including unconditional and unmeasurable love from the Father. Has fear got a grip on you? Well, here’s the antidote. Receive God’s perfect love for you. Embrace this truth and let fear go. Lean into His love, just like Jesus did, because that will remove fear.

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Scripture is quoted from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION^®, NIV^® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.^® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.