I always stand amazed in the knowledge that God loves all people and wants the best for all of them. However, not everyone accepts or returns that love, and not everyone wants the best of what God wants for them. It is true based on the Bible and Christian experience that God loves us. I want to take a little of your time and revisit John 3:16 and see what it tells us about the God who loves us.
God’s Love Is Universal: “For God so loved the world….” "The world" refers to everyone in the world. There is no one in the world that God does not love. No one can truly say that he or she is unloved. Jesus revealed this love in His earthly ministry. We read in the gospel accounts of Jesus that He loved the rich and the poor, the sick and the well alike. For example, Jesus loved the wealthy Zacchaeus, who was the wealthiest and the most hated man in Jericho because he was a tax collector who had stolen from the people. At the same time, we note that Jesus loved the blind beggar Bartimaeus. The cartoon character, Charlie Brown, or it might have been Lucy, said: “I love mankind, it’s people that I hate.” Well, God does not just love mankind in general; He loves every person in the world individually. This means that He loves you too. It also means that He loves those people that you do not particularly care for. God’s Love Is Sacrificial: “That He gave His only begotten Son….” Observe that God did not just send His Son – He gave Him. God revealed His love for every person by giving Jesus, His Son, to die for each one. In Matthew 1:21 the angel , told Joseph: “And you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” The meaning of this verse is revealed in Romans 8:23: “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.” We further read in Romans 8:34: “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is ever at the right hand of God, who also make intercession for us.” God gave His Son to die and rise again in order to make salvation possible for everyone. He gave His Son to die for you. You can truthfully say that “God gave His only begotten Son to die for me.” It is God’s intention that every person should take John 3:16 personally. God’s Love Saves: “That whosever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life….” According to this “whosoever believes in Him” can be saved. Notice that our responsibility is to believe. Those who believe in Jesus, those who trust their lives to Him, are saved, and “will not perish but have everlasting life.” There are many people who will not acknowledge the sacrificial love of God. They want to save themselves or find some other means of salvation. It is a pity that so many people who are loved by God refuse His great salvation and perish. This is not cruelty on God’s part, for in His great love He has done all that can be done to ensure eternal life to all. What more could people ask for than the life of God’s Son? What simpler course could people take than to believe in God’s Son? “Whosoever” includes you. You can be saved by believing in and giving your life to Jesus. “Whosoever will” also applies to all of the people to whom you need to witness. You can, and should, share the love of God with other people by the way you live and by witnessing to them. All people need to know that they are part of “whosoever.” Let’s celebrate the love of God. There is no other love that is both universal and sacrificial. There is no other love that can save. Bro. Joe
1 Comment
Margaret M Jones
3/29/2016 08:14:21 am
What a comfort this message brings! No greater love exists than that of our Heavenly Father. Thank you for this devotion this morning.
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