As I was praying and seeking the Lord on what to share this week, the scripture that popped into my head was John 3:16. It happens to be the first scripture I ever memorized as a little 5-year-old.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16
This is a scripture that most Christians know by heart. It’s a scripture that can be seen all over the place. As a huge football fan growing up, I was always intrigued by the rainbow-haired man who would hold up the sign on national television with the words: John 3:16.
It’s an amazing scripture that reminds us how much God loves us. And if we take the time to really process the reality of what God did and what Jesus went through because of their love for us, it can be a little overwhelming.
In John 15:13 it says: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” I want to believe that I would be willing to lay my life down for a friend. But what about someone who had treated me poorly? What about someone who mocked me or ridiculed me? Would I be willing to lay down my life for them?
What the Father and Son were willing to do for people that had rejected them, for people that had turned their backs on them. That is the kind of love that is overwhelming to think about. But this is the kind of love that God showed the world. This is the kind of love that God shows to you and to me.
Thank You, Lord, for Your love! Thank you for demonstrating what true love looks like. May we learn to love like You love.
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