Famous people and performers are often greatly admired. Through their media exposure it’s easy to feel as though you know them and to think they are nice people. But then you hear about some of those same famous people getting into trouble with the law or you read a biography revealing their darker side and you realize you don’t know them at all. Some people aren’t what they seem to be and they can disappoint you.

One of the amazing things about God is that he loves us. The Bible says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We can count on his love and he won’t disappoint us. Think about it. God is the biggest celebrity of all. He is infinitely rich, he is all-powerful and owner of the universe, yet he cares about us. It’s not like he needs us or that we really have anything to offer him in return. To the contrary, we humans are notorious for the bad ways we treat God and the frequency with which we swear his name. Yet he loves us. God loves each of us more than our own mother does. God loves us more than our spouse or our best friend. He’s always there for us.

I find that when someone loves me I want to love them back. When I feel loved and accepted by others it makes me want to play on their team, to be their friend and to connect with them. The astounding thing is that the God of the universe loves you and me – and that makes us want to love him back.