August 8, 2021: The Father Himself Loves Me

“In that day you will ask in My name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God” (John 16:26–27, NIV).

I like verses that surprise me. This verse certainly did that, given that I grew up primarily with a courtroom-based image of the Father, standing in judgment over me, with Jesus interceding as my Advocate.

This verse reminds me that the members of the Godhead are united in their love for me and their desire to save me. Jesus has no need to advocate before the Father on my behalf, because the Father is not my accuser. Satan, the adversary, and sin itself, are my only enemies. In the Godhead, I have nothing but friends.

Understanding and believing this verse helped me to let go of many fears and to see that the Father is just as loving and gracious as His Son. It has been incredibly freeing to comprehend that Christ died to save us from sin, not from God.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for letting me see Christ—the clearest representation of who You are. Amen.

Robert Fuller is a member of the Spencerville church in Maryland.