Jump Start # 3731

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.“

NOTE: Tomorrow is a holiday. There will be no Jump Starts posted.

In 1892, J.G. Dailey  (1854-1927), published the hymn “He loved me so.” The first line of the hymn, “Why did my Savior come to earth,” is answered by the title and chorus, He loved me so. Sometimes, that answer seems too simplistic for us. We need a reason to love. We love, because someone is nice to us. We love, because someone went out of their way for us. We love, because someone has been a tried and true friend that has stood by us for years. We love, because there is a reason to love.

God’s love for us baffles us. There’s really no reason for God to love us. Sure, we are created in His image, but we sure haven’t acted like we know Him. We’ve ignored God. We’ve broken God’s law. We’ve shamed God. We’ve blasphemed God. From a moral and spiritual aspect, there isn’t much for us to brag about. Broken is the best description of us.

Our verse today reminds us that God not only loves us, but demonstrated or proved that love, while we were still sinners. It wasn’t after we apologized and stopped our bad behavior that God started to look our way. He loved us when we ran from Him. He loved us when we were astray and spent time in the wilderness.

I sang this hymn recently when I was in a meeting in Texas. It occurred to me that changing one word in that hymn really makes the message more powerful and meaningful. As written, the chorus reads, “He loved me so, He loved me so; He gave His precious life for me, for me, because He loved me so.”

The way I now sing it is, “He love me, too. He loved me, too. He gave His precious life for me, for me, because He loved me, too.” I change the “so” to “too.” I don’t sing the “too” part loud. I don’t want the song leader to think that I’m on the wrong song. But, it is much more meaningful to me that way.

First, it makes the hymn much more personal. I know myself. I know things that no one else knows. I know my thoughts that I never put into words and say. I know my feelings and motives. And, knowing these things, I am amazed that the Lord would still love me. But He does. He loves me, too.

Second, saying “too,” instead of “so,” humbles the heart. There are so many amazing Christians around us. They have done remarkable things. Their faith is so strong. They are courageous. They never seen to have a bad day. And, standing next to them, it is easy to feel inferior. It’s easy to think all I have ever done is ride the bench for the Lord. My accomplishments are few. My mistakes are great. Just run through the list in Hebrews 11. Try putting your name in there. Can’t do that. It’s easy to believe that God shouldn’t waste His time on someone like me. It’s easy to think that there are others who are much more important than I will ever be. Yet, ’He loves me, too.’ The simple. The common. The everyday. The plain vanilla. The unknown. But, that’s not how the Lord sees us. The unknown servant girl who got word to leprous Naaman about Israel’s prophet who heals. The unknown widow who put a couple of copper pennies into the temple treasury. The unknown woman with an issue of blood, who reached out to the Lord in faith. Known only to Heaven, and common as they may be, God loves. He loves me, too.

Third, it also reminds me that God includes me and thinks about me. He loves me, too. I think of the days of picking out players for a game of basketball. The tallest and best were always chosen first. The choosing goes back and forth, until there is one lonely boy left standing by himself. Embarrassed. A bit ashamed. Finally, one of the captains tells the other team, “you can have him.” Discarded. Unwanted. Banished to the island of misfit toys. That’s how life makes us feel. Unless you are young, pretty, successful, and popular, no one cares. No one cares what you think. No one notices you. No one wants you. Work can make you feel that way. School can really make you feel that way. Sadly, even church can make you feel that way. Loneliness has been described as the modern leprosy. Hundreds of friends on your phone and Facebook page, but no one who thinks about you. No one reaches out to you. One can feel alone even sitting in a crowd.

He loves me, too. We can feel like the kid sitting at the lunch table all by himself, while all the popular kids are laughing, having fun and crowded around each other. But to our amazement, Jesus comes and sits besides us. We don’t have much to offer. There isn’t anything for us to talk about. But, there is the smiling Jesus, asking “How are you doing today?” He loves me, too.

I can understand why Jesus loves others. But why does He love me? And, the answer is not in trying to find some self value or worth within us. The answer is because that’s Jesus. He doesn’t need a reason. That’s His nature.

He loves me, too.

Roger