Your Encouraging 5 Minute Podcast
A weekly dose of encouragement to start your week off right! Join your favorite WPER hosts every week for uplifting thoughts to keep your eyes focused on Christ and His promises.
Your Encouraging 5 Minute Podcast
Your Emotions Can't Change God's Love
Have you ever felt the weight of not being enough? That whisper in your soul suggesting God couldn't possibly love someone like you? If you're carrying those invisible burdens of shame and inadequacy.
Romans 5:8 reveals how God shows His love while we're still in our mess. The profound reality is that Jesus loves you right now—not as you wish you were or hope to become.
This isn't about religious performance or earning divine favor. It's about understanding that God's love precedes our perfection.
Through the powerful parable of the prodigal son, we see how the father's extravagant welcome mirrors God's response to our running to Him. No lectures or probation periods—just pure celebration.
When feelings of unworthiness surface (and they will), remember: feelings are real but not always true. God's love doesn't fluctuate with your emotions; it's anchored in His unchanging character. Perhaps the most stunning truth? Jesus didn't go to the cross because you were perfect; He went because you are precious. He simply didn't want heaven without you.
Whether you're tired, uncertain, or just need a reminder that you're seen and loved, these five minutes will lift your spirit.
God's love isn't a reward for the worthy—it's a gift for the willing.
Take this encouragement with you today, and when doubt creeps in, remember: Jesus sees you, loves you, and will never let you go.
Oh, you're at the right place. This is your Encouraging 5-Minute Podcast Over the next five minutes here to encourage you and inspire you to lift your day. I'm Eric, this is my friend Heather and, by the way, at the end of the five minutes, if you need more encouragement, you can always listen again or you can tune into your Encouraging WPER Virginia's home for encouragement outside of the listening area. You could even download the app WPER Virginia's home for encouragement outside of the listening area. You could even download the app. Wper is what you're looking for.
Speaker 2:Now we don't know what your days look like so far. Maybe it's been a little heavy and maybe you've been carrying around an ache in your soul, you know, like the kind that just whispers you're not enough or worse God couldn't possibly love somebody like you. And maybe somebody has said those things to you. You know, once and now, your heart believes them.
Speaker 1:Well, if that's where you are right now, we just want to take a few minutes to speak directly to your heart.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because here's the truth you are deeply loved by Jesus Christ right now, just as you are, not as you wish you were or hope you someday will be.
Speaker 1:Maybe you've made some mistakes, maybe you feel broken, ashamed or even forgotten, but none of that, none of that can cancel out the love God has for you. You know, every single human that's ever lived or will ever live has made mistakes. Okay, I take comfort in that Right. They've also felt shame, they felt broken. Even people God used in the Bible do some amazing things where people that made mistakes and if that's written down for us to see centuries later, wow, think about that.
Speaker 2:Well, but you know what else is written down for us to see centuries later, proof of his love for you, just as you are in this moment.
Speaker 1:Romans 5.8 says God demonstrates his love for us in this While we were still sinners, he died for us. Did you catch that While we were still sinners, he didn't wait for us to clean ourselves?
Speaker 2:up.
Speaker 1:He didn't love for a future polished version of you. He loved you in your mess, in your pain, in your darkest hour, and he still does. You know, sometimes the problem is that I believe that we believe God's love has to be earned.
Speaker 2:I've been there in my life. You know like we got to work hard or do better, try harder do more just to prove him worthy of love.
Speaker 1:That's religion, and Jesus didn't come to build a religion or make us perform. He came to build a relationship with you, with me, with Heather. He came to rescue, not to reward, people who are trying to prove that they're more righteous than someone else.
Speaker 2:Okay, think of the story of the prodigal son, right, that kid messed up badly, he hurt his family, he wasted all of his money and finally he hit rock bottom and we're talking like he was feeding pigs and he got jealous of the slop he was feeding those pigs.
Speaker 1:However, when he finally came home, what did his dad do? He ran to him, threw his arms around his son. He called for a feast and a big party. Not a lecture, not a punishment a celebration.
Speaker 2:That's the kind of love that God has for you right now, and yeah you might be thinking okay, but I don't feel that.
Speaker 1:I don't feel like God loves me. Like that it's okay. Feelings are real, but they're not always true. God's love isn't based on how you feel. It's based on who he is, and he's faithful, constant, unchanging.
Speaker 2:Now. Jesus did not go to the cross because you were perfect. He went to the cross because you are precious. Let that sink in. Jesus died on the cross because he didn't want heaven without you.
Speaker 1:Let that sink in just for a second. I mean, you're not too far gone, you're not too broken, you're not disqualified, you're seen, you're known, you are deeply, unshakably loved.
Speaker 2:Now, if you don't remember anything else from today's podcast, remember this God's love is not a reward for the worthy, it's a gift for the willing, and if you're willing to offer him your heart, even a heart that's tired or bruised or not 100% sure, that is enough.
Speaker 1:Yeah, God's not asking that you have it all together. He's just asking you come home to him.
Speaker 2:Thanks for spending these few minutes with us today. We hope your heart feels a little lighter. Maybe this has been something that gives you a little bit more hope, and we hope, more than anything, that you feel a whole lot more love.
Speaker 1:And when you start to doubt, remember Jesus sees you, jesus loves you and he will never let you go.
Speaker 2:Nope, not at all. Thank you so much for letting us spend these five minutes with you. We're Eric and Heather on your five-minute encouraging podcast. Now, if you want a little bit more encouragement, you can listen to this again. You can listen to WPER, Virginia's Home for Encouragement, but if you're outside the listening area, head over to WPERorg. You can download the WPER app. Maybe share that with a friend too who thinks I think I need a little bit more encouragement.
