The perfect gift of love!
John 3:16“For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (EHV)
Who do you love? This question may be an easy one for most of us. We love our parents, spouse, children, grandchildren, other family members, and even our friends. But there are some people who we would not include in this list, our enemies, the vile neighbor, the scum of society, those who hurt our loved ones, to name a few. What would God’s list look like?
Who should God love? We tend to think he should love us and people we care about but not the vile and cruel people in the world that bring misery and pain. But what do we bring to God that he should love us? In order for us to qualify for God’s love, we have to be perfect in every single way. If you are not perfect then you are vile and ungodly and unfit for God’s love. This would exclude everyone but Jesus. It makes sense that the Father said more than once that he loves his Son who pleases him. He could not say that about us. Does this mean we are not loved by God?
God does not base his love in the same way we do. His love is not earned but given. Look at our verse. The object of his love is the world. The same world we live in full of sin and violence, people who hate God. Yet he sent his beloved Son to the sinful world that he loved so that those who believe in him will not perish in the fires of hell but have eternal life in heaven. This is God’s love for you and you can trust in his love. It will not be taken away from you because his love is not earned. It is his gift to you through the giving of his Son to death on the cross so you can have eternal life and a place with him in heaven. This is true perfect gift of love!
Dear Lord above, lead us to see the opportunities wherever we are to spread the good news of the kingdom of God. Let us not become discouraged but rejoice in the good news! In your name we pray. Amen.