John 3:16
God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Think of at least one person you love and believe you couldn’t live without. Now… imagine if the only way to save millions of people was to sacrifice the life of that person. Would you do it? COULD you?
This is exactly what God did for us. He looked at each one of us… sinful and imperfect… and said, “It would be worth it.” He was willing to allow His one and only Son to suffer and die in order to potentially save the rest of us. Even crazier is the fact that this was not guaranteed. God still allows us free will, which means that some will actually choose NOT to claim Jesus Christ as the LORD of their lives. Some will declare that God does not exist, while others will turn their backs on Him at some point. Some will mock Him and worship other gods instead. Still… God looked at all of these possible outcomes and said, “It’s worth the sacrifice… and the risk."
I don’t know if you have ever watched someone you love suffer in pain or sickness. Maybe you have stood by a friend or family member who was going through an emotional trauma and offered them your support and encouragement. If so, you have some idea of how hard it is to observe your loved one in discomfort – if not downright agony. Now imagine how hard it must have been for God to watch His Son be ridiculed, beaten, spit upon, tortured, mocked, bloodied… and crucified. Still, He said, “It’s all worth it.”
Do you get that He was thinking of YOU? YOU were worth all of this. YOU were so loved that God was willing to trade the life of Jesus for yours. YOU have so much value to God that He does not wish for any harm to come to a single hair on your head…so He numbers them. YOU are so important to God that He cares about every aspect of what is happening in your life… every single day. And He was willing to allow His only Son to die the most horrific death imaginable in order to pay the price for YOUR life.
Who could love you more than this? Who could handle the worries of your day better? Who should have your unending faith, trust and loyalty? Who do you worship… and Who is the LORD of YOUR life?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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