“How Will I Know?”

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Whitney Houston asked the question, “How will I know … How, will I know if he really loves me… I say a prayer with every heart beat…  I fall in love whenever we meet… I’m asking you what you know about these things… How will I know if he’s thinking of me…? Falling in love is so bitter sweet… How will I know?”

How do we know when someone really cares about us? How do we know if someone loves us? There are a lot of things that we can do to show others that we care for them.  But the ultimate expression of care and love takes place when somebody sacrifices a part of themselves or all of themselves for you. Jesus put it this way, “Greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Ah, this is good… {John 15:13}. When somebody does something like that there can absolutely be no doubt in your mind they care for you, they love you!  I want you to know that the Cross is God’s exclamation point! The Cross is the exclamation point at the end of a sentence in which God is screaming, “I love you and I’ll do whatever it takes to get your attention.” Hear me and hear me good… God paid an unbelievable price to send an unbelievable message.  Inseparable love {Romans 8: 35-38} who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  When God wanted to demonstrate His love for us, He did it on a much higher level. He was willing to risk our rejection by first being honest about our behavior.   And even though we have messed things up with Him through our actions and sin, He continues to stand by us…  If there is any doubt in your mind that God is interested in you; if there is any doubt in your mind if God loves you, please look again at the Cross. For it is good to look through history and see how God, time and time again, demonstrates His love for us.  Sometimes it is almost as if He is shouting, “I LOVE YOU!”  But do you hear Him?

In Luke chapter 2 verses 8-14 it tells us that there was “a shout of love in a dark night!” This is one of the texts that some of you need to hear today.   It should help you be reminded that God loves you, because ‘this shout in the dark of night’ sets the stage for how we can understand God’s interest and love for us. The angels were proclaiming God’s wonderful plan and praising His name as He began to demonstrate His love for us through His One and Only Son Jesus… Can you hear it…?  “I have sent my Son, He is here for you, and I love you that much.” Knowing the intensity of this, never wonder again if you are loved.  God loves you to the point he sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus to be the perfect sacrifice for all your sins and mine. I don’t know whether you remember or not, but in Malachi 1:2 Jesus had a complaint against us too. He said, “So you want to complain, you want to know if I love you, well let me tell you something, I got a complaint against you too. I have loved you deeply, but you got the nerves to ask Me, wherein have I loved you… Really!  My answer… The Cross… Now what have you done for me lately? I can’t hear you…. What you say…. That’s what I thought… Never question whether I love you again! {Paraphrased by me}

Now I know that sometimes life’s circumstances don’t seem fair. That’s when it’s easy to start to doubt God’s love for you. Moments of disappointments, fear, frustration, struggle, and uncertainty can make you feel that God has failed you. In reality, God knows what you need, and has everything under His control. He may have a different time, place, process, or way to move you through life that you may not have expected, but it doesn’t mean He doesn’t love you. I tell you, we need to come up with a different definition of God’s love. We need one that is not so narrow as to suggest that the only true love from God is that which makes us happy. We need to see the boarder perspective, from God’s view, where the ultimate sign of love does not have to do with this life, but with the life to come. This perspective lets us see suffering of this life in a different perspective {Romans 5:3-5}. Don’t allow Satan to distort God’s love for you. There is nothing like the love of God! It is the most overwhelming thing I have ever encountered in my life. It is the greatest thing God ever did for any of us! You should be shouting right now for God’s overwhelming love! There is no greater love than the love that God has for you.  Will you believe it?  Will you accept it?  Will you live through it? I want you to know that God’s love is such that it cannot be comprehended through the mortal and corruptible mind of man. It must be spiritually conveyed. My question for you today is simple, it is not,   “What if God loves you?” but, “What if you believe, really believe it?” You see no matter how much God loves you and no matter how much He does for you, you must accept the truth of that love and accept His son Jesus as your Savior and Lord. I will say it one more time, God loves you!  We need to be reminded of what God did — more than anything else — even as He could smell the stink of sin all over us, He allowed His perfect Son to be sacrificed for us.  We are the reason Jesus died; we are the reason Jesus hung on the Cross.  Don’t question if God loves you. . , know that He was willing to send His Son Jesus to die for you while you were still in sin. We all play a part in the crucifixion of Jesus.  Each of us, because of our sin, led Him to be killed so that we could be forgiven. Oh, how He loves you and me, He gave His life, what more could He give.  I don’t know about you, but that sure does encourage my heart!  Jesus loves me this I know!

Author: Lou Coleman