I remember when her parents came to visit and brought my only granddaughter who was about three at that time. We had fun and good times together.
She would always ask me about all the animals, like the cat, the dog and other pets. We would walk around the yard and look in the little pond in the back and my wife’s pretty flowers. Oh yes, we would have to go up to the chicken house and look at all the chickens. If there were any baby chickens, she would get all excited when she saw them.
I loved to hear her voice as we talked about different things. Sometimes she would ask if we could have some popcorn or ice cream.
My relationship to my granddaughter and the love I have for her reminds me of the love God has for us and the enjoyable times He wants to have with us.
God loves us very much.
Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
Psalm 100 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
He also wants to have close fellowship with us.
1 John 1:3, 4 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
God also proved His love for us in that he sent His only son (Jesus Christ) to die in our place.
1 John 4:9, 10 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Just as my granddaughter was born into our family, when we accept Jesus Christ we are born into God’s family (born again, John 3:3: Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again[a] he cannot see the kingdom of God.”) and we shall never be separated from His love (Romans 8:37-39: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.)
See you in church next Sunday.