God Is Loving and Forgiving

 When we think about God’s love, we usually picture it as gentle and kind. And that’s true — but God’s love is also so much bigger than we can imagine. When we really understand how much He loves us, it changes the way we see everything.

Take King David for example. Even though he sinned against God, he admitted it and asked for forgiveness. The Bible says in 2 Samuel 12:13 (NLT), “Then David confessed to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan replied, ‘Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin.’”God didn’t throw David away. He forgave him.

Or think about Jonah. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, but Jonah ran in the opposite direction. Jonah 1:3 (NLT) says, “But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord.” Because Jonah disobeyed, he ended up in a storm and then swallowed by a giant fish. The Bible says in Jonah 1:17 (NLT), “Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.” But even then, God didn’t give up on Jonah. Later, Jonah 2:10 (NLT) says, “Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.”

Both David and Jonah remind us that even when we mess up, disobey, or try to run away, God still loves us and shows mercy. He forgave them, and He will forgive us too.

Sometimes we think we’ve messed up too badly for God to forgive us. But that’s not true. Psalm 103:12 (NLT) says, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”That means when we confess and turn back to Him, our sins are gone — completely forgiven.

God showed His greatest love when He gave His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. John 3:16 (NLT) says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” That’s how much He loves us!

So when life feels hard or we feel guilty for our mistakes, we can still count on God’s love. He never turns His back on us. Instead, He opens His arms wide when we come to Him. That’s why we should always thank Him, praise Him, and never take His love for granted.

Prayer

Dear Father God, thank You for loving me even when I make mistakes. Thank You for always forgiving me when I come to You. Help me to remember that Your love never runs out and that You sent Jesus to save me. Teach me to trust You, obey You, and thank You every day. In the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ, I pray, amen. 

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“God Is Loving and Forgiving”, written for aheartforchristdevotions@blogspot.com by Kraiapril©2025. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!