Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"Jesus Loves Me"
June 14, 2020
♫ "Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; They are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so." ♫
The simple words of this children's song express a profound truth: the Bible tells me that Jesus loves me and that I belong to Him! The apostle John expresses a similar thought as he explains the purpose of the inspired Scriptures: "These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name" (John 20:31).
The Scriptures are written that we might believe in Jesus, who is present in Genesis from the first creating Word. The earliest Gospel promise points to Jesus, the woman's offspring, who would crush the tempting serpent (see Genesis 3:15). Jesus makes the final promise of Scripture, "Surely I am coming soon" (Revelation 22:20b). The Law and the prophets foretell Jesus' coming. The slaughtered lambs of the first Passover and the temple sacrifices foreshadow the perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God, slain for the sins of the world. The psalms sing of the Son of Man, who for a time was made lower than the angels. The psalms foretell Jesus' suffering and provide the prayer He cried out from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1a). The prophet Hosea looks into a future filled with hope to say, "On the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him" (Hosea 6:2b). From beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible shouts the same joyful news: "Jesus loves me!"
The Holy Spirit enlightens our hearts and minds through the Word, through the promise of the Gospel, the good news of all that Jesus accomplished for us in His death and resurrection. We may have been brought as infants to the baptismal font, learning about Jesus from parents, pastors, and teachers, as we grew. Or enlightened by the Holy Spirit as adults, we learned about Jesus in church or through the witness of a Christian friend.
Jesus is there in the sacred pages, visible to the eyes of faith, to understanding enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Jesus' opponents—those who rejected Him as Messiah and Savior—searched the Scriptures to find eternal life. But they could not find what only Jesus can give. Jesus said to them, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life" (John 5:39-40). The Scriptures, beginning to end, testify to the mighty acts of God, to all that He has done to bring about our salvation. Enlightened by the Holy Spirit, we see the Savior with nearly every turn of the sacred pages, for what the Bible tells us—over and over again—is that ringing, joyful news: Jesus loves me!
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we praise You for Your saving love, and for the gift of Holy Scripture, which reveals that love to us. Lead us to treasure and to study Your Word until we live in Your presence forever. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you have any favorite hymns or campfire songs you enjoyed as a kid? What are they?This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "Jesus Loves Me." Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
2. How does the Holy Spirit enlighten our hearts and minds and bring us to faith?
3. Have you worked through the Bible's many references and prophesies about Jesus, trying to see how He is portrayed in the Old and New Testaments?
Do you have any favorite hymns or campfire songs you enjoyed as a kid? What are they?
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