Daily Devotions
Think of the person you are closest to—a spouse, a parent or child, a good friend. What would you be willing to let that person see of you at your unloveliest? Are there body processes you’d not want them to see—vomiting or using the bathroom? Are there times when you are mentally or spiritually awful—when you’re horribly cranky, for instance, or when you’re indulging in some appetite you ought not to?
Most of us hide ourselves, at least part of the time, even from the ones who love us most. Deep down inside we fear they’ll love us less if they see the truth about us. And we may feel that way about God, too. After all, He’s perfect. And us, well, we’re … not. And so we behave like Adam and Eve after they disobeyed God, and we hide ourselves from Him.
But Paul tells us there’s good news! We don’t need to hide ourselves from God any longer, because “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus lay down His own life to give us forgiveness, clean hearts, and new, joyful lives. And when did He do this amazing, unthinkable act of love? When we were still sinners—when we were weak—when we were ungodly. In other words, when we were at our very worst.
That’s when Jesus died for you. That’s when He rose for you—and reached out to make you God’s own child. When you were at your worst, He wanted you. And that has never changed.
This puts us in a very strange and wonderful position, doesn’t it? Logic says that God is the one Person in the whole universe we should feel the shyest of; but the opposite is now true. Because He loved us at our worst, He is now the one Person we can trust to know everything—even the ugliest and most embarrassing parts of our lives. He has seen us at our worst and still loved us. After that, how can we ever worry about His reaction to us again?
WE PRAY: Dear Lord, thank You that I can be at peace, because You know all of me and still love me. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. What is one thing you hide from the people you’re closest to? Why?
2. Is it a hardship or a blessing to know that God sees everything? Why do you think so?
3. When has somebody seen you at your worst and still cared for you?