John 3:16 (NKJV) is a verse of scripture that most Christians love and cherish. It says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This verse is part of the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus, a leader in the upper echelon of Jewish society. He met Jesus in the cloak of night, wanting to be clandestine so that none of his Jewish brothers would accuse him of supporting the Gospel. Jesus Christ told Nicodemus that unless a person is born again, he or she cannot see the Kingdom of God. This baffled Nicodemus’s mind. He couldn’t conceive of it, and asked Jesus Christ to further explain what he meant. Nicodemus couldn’t conceive of a relationship with God based on a supernatural birth that would transform life as he knew it. As believers we are actually living that life today, and we should live every day in gratitude to God as we seek to receive all that He has in store.
Humans are not naturally children of God. Thousands upon thousands have tried to deceive us on this, but we should never allow it. Jesus Christ said in John 3:6(NLT), “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.” This is God’s order, and it cannot be changed or altered in any way. To become God’s children, we had to receive His seed. We had to be born of God’s Holy Spirit, and God’s desire is that every living person will accept the new life that He offers through Jesus Christ.
John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the entire world that He gave His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for its sin. Take some time to allow this to really marinate in your brain cells. Think about the condition of the world when Jesus Christ came into it. He left the throne of our glorious Heavenly Father to be born in a manger, a place where animals were fed, because they had no room for him at the inn. He was not showered in luxurious fanfare and gifts, but instead, a price was on his head from the moment he was born. Much like today, people back then were wicked and evil beyond anything we can imagine, yet God loved the world!
He did not do away with all humans because of our sin. Instead, He demonstrated His unconditional love and amazing grace. Ephesians 2:8-9(ESV) tells us, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” It is impossible to earn the grace that God has given us through Jesus Christ. We could work from sun up to sun down for eternity, and even this would not pay for all that God has done for us. God gave His Son, Jesus Christ, so that everyone, believers and unbelievers, could be saved. Christ died for us all, including those who do not love him. This is the blessing of God’s love, because it demonstrates the great lengths our Heavenly Father was willing to go in order to save us.
We serve, worship, and praise a God who never forgets about us and never leaves us. The quality of His love is immeasurable. He is not distant from us, but longs to be near us. So much so that He’s placed His Holy Spirit within us to help, guide, comfort, and teach us. Our human brains simply cannot fully ponder the depths of God’s love, and oh what a blessing it is know this. But lest we forget, the blessing of love is both to give and to receive. That is the beauty of its power. God loves us, but He is indeed a God who wants to be loved back.
Colossians 2:9-10(NLT) tells us, “9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” This Good News is off the chart. God lives in Christ, and Christ lives in us. Because our Lord and Savior lives in us, we are complete! So many people are starving for love and attention. They feel isolated and alone, and they see life as one long ache. God doesn’t want that for anyone. He wants us to turn our focus on His love because only His love can give us power, strength, and peace.
We have so many issues these days, and we find it hard to have peace, but there is an answer to all of this, and it is the love of God through Jesus Christ. Colossians 2:7(NLT) tells us to “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Understand that God’s love is the power that increases us and allows us to love others genuinely. Increase your commitment to grow in God’s love by choosing to live love in the same way that Christ did. Then everything you do will be a response to the blessing of God’s love. This is what positions you in faith and prepares you to receive all that He has in store for your life.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
“The Blessing of God’s Love”, written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.