Jesus Loves Me 

Some believe that the German Swiss theologian Karl Barth was the most influential theologian of the last five centuries and had the highest “IQ’ of anyone who lived in the 20th Century – I’m not sure about that but he was certainly clever!
 
Shortly before he died in 1968 a student asked Barth if he could sum up the most important lesson he had learnt from his life’s work and theological studies. Barth pondered for a moment, smiled, and said ‘yes, it is found in the words of a song my mother used to sing to me’,
 
 

Jesus loves me, this I know
for the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak, but He is strong

 
 
Jesus loves me is perhaps the most surprising statement of all time, but its power can easily be worn out by years of trite repetition - so much communicated in these few words; a truth even more astonishing for the fact that this simple confession is as relevant to the eighty-year-old as to an eight-year-old
 
To say, "Jesus loves me," is to accept that almighty God sent His son Jesus Christ to reconcile us to himself.
 
But raises the question - are we little enough to set aside our pride and place our trust and selves in the arms of Jesus? As Michael Quoist commented - ‘one must be very little to be carried by God – for the father carries only little children.’


So, if ever you find yourself at a loss for words when you go to pray, or if you feel that you have nothing to thank and praise God for, simply remember that Jesus loves you
 
God’s love leaps cultures and impenetrable barriers. When Mao Tse Sung attempted to crush the church in China things were bleak.  In 1972 however, a message leaked out which simply said: "the ‘this I know’ people are well".  The Communist authorities did not understand the message but Christians around the world knew instantly that this referred to this children’s hymn.  Miraculously the Chinese Church, instead of being crushed boomed under persecution under Gods love and guidance and grew from from 1.5 million believers to some 7% of the population - a reported 97 million members today! They hadn’t been beyond God’s love.
 
But God’s love provides us with a challenge. Christ gave us a new commandment –
 
‘As I have loved you so you must love one another (John 13 v 34)
 
Will we be a channel for God’s love today?