God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. I John 4:9, 10 NLT
I have a pile of love letters from my husband from the years we dated, and cards and notes from the years we’ve been married, too. I also have special letters written by my now adult children, some in their childhood scrawls of just learning to write. I keep the letters because the senders are precious to me. I love them.
God wrote His love letter to each of us. It’s called the Bible, or Scripture. Throughout the Bible God tells us how much He loves us. His love is true love: Love is patient, kind, not envious, not proud, not rude, does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (from I Corinthians 13)
God our Father loves us perfectly. As He declared Himself to Moses, God is “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7 NKJV)
If all the iniquities are to be set upon the following generations, there is no hope for us. But because God loves us so much, He provided a way of escape. He didn’t just say He loves us, He showed us His love for us by sending His one and only Son into the world as a human being to be our sacrifice to take away our sins.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)
Jesus Christ loves us so much that He willingly sacrificed Himself for you and me! We know this from Scripture. Jesus told the disciples (and us through the Bible) “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:9 NKJV)
Even when don’t abide or stay in Jesus’ love and we wander away from God, He does not give up on us. I take great hope in that! When I stray, He brings me back, causing me to desire fellowship with Him. He forgives me when I turn to Him. When loved ones turn away from God and follow the world, He cares and will rescue them. “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.”(Ezekiel 34:12 NLT)
God’s love for us is so immense. Is it any wonder that I love the Lord? I hope you do, too.
We love Him because He first loved us. (I John 4:19 NKJV)
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for Your great love for me. Dear Jesus, thank you for the sacrifice You made on the cross for me. Your love for me is beyond my comprehension. Help me to show Your love to others around me by loving them as You love me. Amen.
Kathryn Breckenridge 