Closer Than CloseSample

“Who Am I? The Most Loved” One of the questions my sister, Amy, and I used to pester our parents with when we were growing up was, “Which one of us do you love the most?” My father would always reply, “The both of you.” “But Dad,” I would counter, “which one is it? Me or Amy?” He would normally say, “Yes.” When it comes to love—even God’s love—it’s natural to think in terms of a sum total equation. For instance, if God loves “the world” and there are roughly seven billion people living on the planet, then you and I are entitled to roughly 1/7,000,000,000 of God’s love, right? Is that enough love for you? No. That is crazy. The truth is, God loves each of his children 100 percent. How could he not? His love knows no limits and knows no boundaries. As an infinite God, he has an infinite capacity for love, allowing each of his children to be the most loved—his favorite. United to Christ, the truest thing about you is that you are a beloved child of God. Right now, as you read these words, your Heavenly Father’s complete and utter attention and affection is on you. But not only you, but your spouse, your wayward child, your loved ones, and yes, even your enemies. Hard to believe? Sure. But God is that big—and that small. Listen to how the apostle Paul describes God’s ineffable love: For this reason I bow my knees before the Father … that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (EPH.3.14,16-19). Did you hear that? God’s love does not operate as a sum total game. Because you and I have been united to the supreme object of the Father’s love and affection—the person of Jesus Christ—each one of us is the most-loved of God’s children. We are loved with the very same love with which the Father has eternally loved his one and only Son! My friend and mentor, Fil Anderson, has this to say about the importance of understanding ourselves to be the most loved of God: Until the unlimited, unbridled, and unrelenting love of God takes root in your life, until God’s reckless pursuit of us captures our imagination, until our head knowledge of God settles into our hearts through pure grace, nothing really changes. Everything changes, however, as we awaken to our union with Christ. It’s then (and only then) that we come to personally experience ourselves as the “most loved” of God. Read Fil’s quote again. Do you agree with him? Why or why not? How would your life change if you really believed that you were God’s favorite?