As I was singing, "God Loves Me Dearly" in church this morning, I began to weep. You see, I weep every single
time I sing that wonderful hymn. I have been walking with the Lord now around 30 years, seeing His blessings
in all circumstances. The Lord has blessed me with an absolute passion for His Word, and to go along with
that, Theology Proper, or the Doctrines of God. I want to know who He is and His character, as much as a
sinful creature can understand Deity anyway. If there is one single thing He has taught me it is that there is not
one single solitary good thing in me. He continues to show me just how sinful I am and how woefully short I fall
to His standard. BUT GOD (my two favorite words in Scripture!) had/has mercy on me! Why? I have no idea,
except that He loves me. Obviously, He doesn’t love me for who I am but despite who I am. How arrogant we
are to think anything else! How arrogant we are when we actually believe that somehow God needs us, in any
way, shape, or form. As a culture, our absolute blasphemous view of our own value is nauseating to me. We
truly have no clue of who God is, and what holiness means, and the rebellion of sin within us!
That is why I admire Luther so very much. While I don't agree with all of His doctrinal positions, nobody knew
any better than Luther just how sinful and unworthy they were of God's standard. That is the reason that once
He read that storied verse of Habakkuk in the book of Romans and the Lord opened His mind and heart to the
doctrine of Justification by grace alone through faith alone, He said that it didn't matter if it was Popes or
Councils that He would negotiate this doctrine with no man! I get that! I admire that, and I pray to God that if I
were in the same position that the Lord would strengthen me to stand as He did. Luther knew it was not his
strength, but God's. My prayer is that if you don't know that, "God loves You Dearly" that He would open your
mind and heart to that fact today!
1 God loves me dearly,
Grants me salvation,
God loves me dearly,
Loves even me.
Refrain:
Therefore I'll say again:
God loves me dearly,
God loves me dearly,
Loves even me.
2 I was in slav'ry,
Sin, death, and darkness;
God';s love was working
To make me free. [Refrain]
3 He sent forth Jesus,
My dear Redeemer,
He sent forth Jesus
And set me free. [Refrain]
4 Jesus, my Savior,
Himself did offer;
Jesus, my Savior,
Paid all I owed. [Refrain]
5 Now I will praise You,
O love Eternal;
Now I will praise You
All my life long. [Refrain]