“THE LOVE OF GOD”

How vast is the love of God? John 3:16 tells us, “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.” God’s love prompted Him to offer His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins. This was His plan before He created the world. Think about that a minute, God knew that mankind would sin and need a savior, yet He created us anyway!

Grasping the depth of God’s love should motivate us to live a life of adoration and praise. We should desire to glorify God in all we do because frankly, we owe Him for paying a debt that we could not pay on our own. Because God is the Author and Giver of life, all that we are and all that we have is a gift from Him. He is the Giver of all good gifts.

Now, here is the catch, believing in Jesus and believing Jesus is two different things. One can believe in Jesus, yet never let His teachings affect their life. H. G. Wells, a well-known atheist and historian, said in his book “A History of the World,” that Jesus Christ was the most influential man in history. Mr. Wells believed in Jesus, but did not believe Him. Just as God loved the world, those that believe Jesus will love Him and be obedient to His words. Look at what Jesus said in John 14:15-“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

We still live in an imperfect world that is ruled by Satan. Even after we are immersed for forgiveness of sins, we still struggle with temptation, and yes, sometimes we will give in to that temptation. God does not desert us and give up on us. Several times throughout the book of Psalms, we are told that God’s love is everlasting. John gives us great encouragement in I John 1:9-If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This was written to the church, those who have already been baptized and forgiven. This reminds us that God will always forgive us when we come before Him with repentant hearts. How much love must that take?

The most important gift you will ever receive in your life is forgiveness of your sins. It is born out of the unconditional love of God. It is up to you to accept that gift. He will not force it on you, yet He will continue to love you either way. That is just how vast the love of God is!

Read Ephesians 3:14-21