Accept Jehovah’s Love

1. Why did you dedicate yourself to Jehovah? (See also picture.)

CAN you recall when you dedicated yourself to Jehovah? You made that decision because you came to know and love him. You promised him that you would put his will first in your life and that you would continue to love him with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Mark 12:30) Since that time, your love for him has grown stronger and stronger. How, then, would you answer if someone asked, “Are you sure that you love Jehovah?” Without hesitation, you would say, “I love him more than anyone or anything else!”

2-3. What does Jehovah want us to accept, and what will we discuss in this article? (Jeremiah 31:3)

² How, though, would you answer if someone asked, “Are you sure that Jehovah loves you?” Would you hesitate to answer, perhaps thinking that you are unworthy of Jehovah’s love? One sister who had a difficult upbringing said: “I know I love Jehovah. I have no doubt about that. What I do doubt all too often is if Jehovah loves me.” But how does Jehovah really feel about you?

³ Jehovah wants you to be convinced that he loves you. (Read Jeremiah 31:3.) The truth is that Jehovah drew you to himself. And when you dedicated yourself to him and got baptized, you received something truly precious​—his loyal love. That love is a deep, lasting attachment. It moves him to view his faithful worshippers​—including you—​as his “treasured possession.” (Mal. 3:17, ftn.) Jehovah wants you to be as sure of his love for you as the apostle Paul was of Jehovah’s love for him. Paul could confidently write: “I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor governments nor things now here nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love.” (Rom. 8:38, 39) In this article, we will discuss why we need to strengthen our conviction that Jehovah loves us and what can help us to do so.

WHY WE NEED TO ACCEPT JEHOVAH’S LOVE

4. How can we fight against one of Satan’s craftiest acts?

⁴ By accepting Jehovah’s love, we can fight against one of Satan’s “crafty acts.” (Eph. 6:11) Satan will do anything he can to keep us from serving Jehovah. One of Satan’s craftiest acts is to promote the lie that Jehovah does not love us. Never forget that Satan is an opportunist. He often attacks when we are vulnerable​—perhaps weighed down emotionally by past experiences, by present challenges, or by uncertainties about the future. (Prov. 24:10) Satan is like a lion seeking to take advantage of his defenseless prey. So he tries to take advantage of our low emotional state to get us to give up. But if we keep strengthening our conviction that Jehovah loves us, we will be better equipped to take our “stand against” Satan and his cunning tricks and tactics.​—1 Pet. 5:8, 9; Jas. 4:7.

5. Why do we need to feel loved and cherished by Jehovah?

⁵ By accepting Jehovah’s love, we can draw closer to him. Consider why we can say that. Jehovah created us with the need to love and to be loved. Our natural response to love is love. So the more we feel loved and cherished by Jehovah, the more we will love him in return. (1 John 4:19) And as we grow in our love for him, he will grow in his love for us. The Bible plainly tells us: “Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.” (Jas. 4:8) How, though, can we strengthen our conviction that Jehovah loves us?

WHAT CAN HELP US TO ACCEPT JEHOVAH’S LOVE?

6. To accept Jehovah’s love, what can we pray for?

⁶ Be specific and persistent in your prayers. (Luke 18:1; Rom. 12:12) Ask Jehovah​—many times each day if necessary—​to help you to see yourself as he does. Granted, a self-condemning heart may not be easily convinced. But remember that Jehovah is greater than your heart. (1 John 3:19, 20) He knows you better than you know yourself; he sees what you may be unable to see. (1 Sam. 16:7; 2 Chron. 6:30) So do not hesitate to “pour out” your feelings to him, asking for his help to accept his love. (Ps. 62:8) Then work in harmony with your prayers by applying the following suggestions.

7-8. How do the Psalms assure us of Jehovah’s love for us?

⁷ Take Jehovah at his word. He inspired Bible writers to describe him as he truly is. Consider the tender way in which the psalmist David described Jehovah. “Jehovah is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those who are discouraged.” (Ps. 34:18, ftn.) When you are downhearted, you may feel that you are all alone. But Jehovah promises that at such times, he is close to you because he sees that you need him more than ever. In another psalm, David wrote: “Do collect my tears in your skin bottle.” (Ps. 56:8) Jehovah sees when you struggle. He cares deeply about you and what you are going through. He, in a sense, collects your tears and treasures them, as though they were the precious water in a traveler’s skin bottle. At Psalm 139:3, we read: “You [Jehovah] are familiar with all my ways.” Jehovah sees all your ways, but he focuses on the good you do. (Heb. 6:10) Why? Because he cherishes every effort you make to please him.a

⁸ By means of such comforting scriptures in his inspired Word, Jehovah is, in effect, saying: “I want you to know how much I love you and care about you.” But as we learned earlier, Satan promotes the lie that Jehovah does not love you. So if at times you have doubts about Jehovah’s love for you, pause and ask yourself, ‘Whom will I believe​—“the father of the lie” or “the God of truth”?’​—John 8:44; Ps. 31:5.

9. What assurance does Jehovah give to those who love him? (Exodus 20:5, 6)

⁹ Reflect on how Jehovah responds to love. Consider what Jehovah said to Moses and to the Israelites. (Read Exodus 20:5, 6.) Jehovah promises that he will continue to show loyal love to those who love him. Those words assure us that our loyal God would never receive love from his worshippers and not love them in return. (Neh. 1:5) So if at times you need reassurance that Jehovah loves you, stop and ask yourself, ‘Do I love Jehovah?’ Then think about this: If you love him and are trying your best to please him, you have his assurance that he loves you dearly. (Dan. 9:4; 1 Cor. 8:3) In other words, if you do not doubt your love for Jehovah, why doubt his love for you? His love and loyalty are beyond all doubt.

10-11. How does Jehovah want you to view the ransom? (Galatians 2:20)

¹⁰ Meditate on the ransom. The ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ is Jehovah’s greatest gift to humankind. (John 3:16) But is it a gift to you personally? Yes! Consider the experience of the apostle Paul. Recall that he had committed some serious sins before becoming a Christian and needed to continue battling his own imperfections. (Rom. 7:24, 25; 1 Tim. 1:12-14) Yet, he came to view the ransom as a personal gift from Jehovah. (Read Galatians 2:20.) Remember that Jehovah inspired Paul to record those words. And everything in the Bible is there for our instruction. (Rom. 15:4) Paul’s words reflect how Jehovah wants you to view the ransom​—that is, as a personal gift from Him to you. When you come to view the ransom this way, you strengthen your conviction that Jehovah loves you as an individual.

¹¹ We thank Jehovah for sending Jesus to the earth to die for us. But another reason why Jesus came to earth was to tell others the truth about God. (John 18:37) That truth includes the way that Jehovah feels about his children.

HOW JESUS HELPS US TO ACCEPT JEHOVAH’S LOVE

12. Why can we trust the way Jesus described Jehovah?

¹² When on earth, Jesus willingly revealed what Jehovah is like. (Luke 10:22) We have every reason to trust the way Jesus described Jehovah. After all, Jesus had lived alongside Jehovah in heaven for eons before coming to earth. (Col. 1:15) From firsthand experience and observation, Jesus knew how much Jehovah loves His faithful sons and daughters. How does Jesus help others to accept God’s love?

13. How does Jesus want us to see Jehovah?

¹³ Jesus wants us to see Jehovah as he does. In the Gospels, Jesus referred to Jehovah as “Father” over 160 times. And when speaking to his followers, he used such expressions as “your Father” or “your heavenly Father.” (Matt. 5:16; 6:26) The study note on Matthew 5:16 says: “Earlier servants of God used many lofty titles to describe and address Jehovah, including the ‘Almighty,’ ‘the Most High,’ and the ‘Grand Creator,’ but Jesus’ frequent use of the simple, common term ‘Father’ highlights God’s intimacy with his worshippers.” Clearly, Jesus wants us to see Jehovah as he does​—as our loving Father, whose children are dear to Him. Let us examine two examples of Jesus’ use of the term “Father.”

14. How did Jesus show that each of us has value in our heavenly Father’s eyes? (Matthew 10:29-31) (See also picture.)

¹⁴ First, consider Jesus’ words recorded at Matthew 10:29-31. (Read.) Sparrows are tiny birds that will never love or worship Jehovah. Yet, our Father values a single sparrow enough to know when it falls to the ground. How much more must he value and care for each faithful worshipper who serves him out of love! Regarding the words “even the hairs of your head are all numbered,” the study note on verse 30 says: “Jehovah’s intimate knowledge of such minute details guarantees that he is keenly interested in each follower of Christ.” Surely, Jesus wants us to accept that each of us is precious in our heavenly Father’s eyes.

15. What do Jesus’ words found at John 6:44 tell you about your heavenly Father?

¹⁵ Note a second example of Jesus’ use of the term “Father.” (Read John 6:44.) Your heavenly Father personally drew​—or, gently attracted—​you to the truth. Why did he draw you? Because he saw in you a heart that was rightly disposed. (Acts 13:48) The study note on John 6:44 says that Jesus may have been alluding to Jeremiah’s words, as found in our theme text: “I have drawn you to me with loyal love [or, have continued to show loyal love to you].” (Jer. 31:3; ftn.; compare Hosea 11:4.) Think of what that means. Our loving heavenly Father continues to see the good in you that you may not see in yourself.

16. (a) What is Jesus, in effect, telling us, and why should we believe him? (b) How can you strengthen your conviction that Jehovah is the Father you need? (See the box “The Father We All Need.”)

¹⁶ By describing Jehovah as our Father, Jesus is, in a sense, telling us: “Jehovah is not just my Father; he is your Father too. And I assure you that he loves you and deeply cares about you as an individual.” So if at times you feel unsure about Jehovah’s love for you, stop and ask yourself, ‘Shouldn’t I trust the words of the Son who knows our Father best and who always speaks the truth?’​—1 Pet. 2:22.

KEEP STRENGTHENING YOUR CONVICTION

17. Why must we keep strengthening our conviction that Jehovah loves us?

¹⁷ We need to keep strengthening our conviction that Jehovah loves us. As we learned earlier, our crafty enemy, Satan, will stop at nothing to make us give up on serving Jehovah. In an effort to weaken our resolve, Satan will keep trying to undermine our confidence in God’s love for us. We must not let Satan win!​—Job 27:5.

18. How can you strengthen your confidence in Jehovah’s love?

¹⁸ To strengthen your confidence in Jehovah’s love, keep praying for his help to see yourself as he does. Ponder how inspired Bible writers described his tender love. Reflect on the way that he responds to love; he would never receive it and then fail to show it in return. Meditate on why you can view the ransom as a personal gift to you. And trust Jesus’ assurance that Jehovah is your heavenly Father. Then if anyone should ask: “Are you sure that Jehovah loves you?” you will confidently respond: “Yes, he does! And I do my best every day to show my love for him!”