Does God love me?

When we think about God we may wonder what our relationship is with Him. We may wonder if He even notices or cares about us at all. From the prophets, both ancient and modern, we find answers to this great question. The apostle Paul spoke of this when he was teaching the people of Athens, he said, "For in him we live, and move and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring (Acts 17:28)." What wonderful truth is contain within these lines, that God is in fact the Father of our spirits. Imagine, then, the care and concern you exhibit towards your own children or that your parents have shown to you. I am here to promise you that God feels the same way. He loves you, He cares about you, and He wants to help you succeed in every aspect of your life. Speaking of this Father-child relationship, Christ said to the Nephites, "Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (3 Ne 14:9-11)." Since He loves us, He is waiting to bless us in any way that we will allow Him. In Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21 we are taught, "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundation of the world, upon which all blessings are predicated. And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." Yes God loves you, yes He is waiting and willing to bless you, but He cannot unless you are willing to obey His commandments and follow His ways. Just as an earthly parent cannot reward their child for bad behavior, our Heavenly Father cannot reward us for our sin and transgressions. Through the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, however, we are able to learn about the will of our Father and repent to overcome our sins and mistakes. These commandments are contained in the holy scriptures and create a road map for us to follow as we seek to overcome our shortcomings and return to our Heavenly Father. His desire is for everyone of His children to once again return and live again in His presence. As an ordained representative of Jesus Christ, I am sent to declare this message: God loves you, and He wants you to return. I encourage everyone to recognize the ways God has shown His love for you and then show your gratitude in prayer. As you do so you will be able to feel His love and guidance more fully and abundantly in your life.