“For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God” (John 16:27).

“The Father Himself loves you” is a precious and powerful statement that the Lord Jesus told His disciples on the night before He went to the cross. A little later that night, in His awesome prayer, the Lord Jesus said this to His Father, “And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them” according to John 17:26. Three different people in three different places were thinking about those powerful verses that day. Carrie was a medical doctor who had just finished speaking to a family about their loved one. Lawrence delivered supper to an elderly neighbor and was now turning and walking down the sidewalk. Carlos had sounded the air horns on the engine of the train he was driving and was now picking up speed after crossing a major intersection in town. From inside an Intensive Care Unit to a neighbor’s sidewalk to the cab of the engine pulling freight cars, the assurance of being loved by the Father was a huge blessing. Where are you today and what are you doing? If you know Christ as your Savior, you, too, are loved by the Father.

For today: How does the love of the Father impact your life? How will the Father’s love show in your life today?