But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

Devotion based on Titus 3:4,5

“Nobody loves me!” Very few phrases are more heart-wrenching than to hear someone say that no one loves them. Many of us have felt this way at one time or another—the teenager whose friends all seem to have abandoned her, the single person who cannot find that special someone, the divorcee whose world has collapsed, the widow who is suddenly all alone. But God has comfort for everyone who has ever felt unloved. He loves us.

God does not love us because we are lovable. In fact, Paul says, “when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done.” If God’s love for us depended on our being lovable, none of us would stand a chance. The things we have done are not lovable. They are unloving and cruel and hurtful. They are sins.

But God saved us from those sins, not because of what we’ve done, but despite what we’ve done. “He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” God looked at us and said, “What poor, miserable creatures! Over and over again, they deny me and disobey me. They certainly don’t deserve anything from me. But I love them. And I am going to save them from the eternal punishment they deserve.” The fact that God saved us when we didn’t deserve it proves his love for us.

Do you think no one loves you? Look at that man on the cross. Jesus loves you. He loves you as much today as the day on which he was nailed to the cross for you. What wondrous love!

Prayer: