John 3:16-18
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Pretty much every one of us learned John 3:16 as a child, and we can recite the words “by heart”. But here’s how most of us hear the verse…”For God so loved ME that He gave His only Son, so that if I believe in Him, I will be saved for all eternity and go to heaven when I die.”
Here’s what we do NOT hear…”God so loved the WORLD…terrorists…murderers…rapists…child molesters…people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, socio-economic and intellectual levels and political parties…drug addicts and alcoholics…abusers...that He sacrificed the blood of His only Son to redeem EVERYONE who repents of their sins and invites Jesus to be their LORD and Savior!
This is a hard pill to swallow sometimes. We don’t want to think that we might see some of these people on the streets of heaven…that people who did horrible, terrible, unthinkable things at some point in their lives might be there right alongside each of us. But this is because we do not fully understand God’s love. I know I don’t.
I love my husband, my mom, my sister, nieces and nephews and extended family. I love my pets in a way that makes some people snicker and roll their eyes. I love my friends. I like to think that I love completely, unconditionally, and without any reservation…but I know better. I am not sure that I love deeply enough. And I’m pretty certain that my brand of love would not allow me to sacrifice anyone for the sins of the WORLD, especially these terrible, horrible, incorrigible people who have existed since the days of Cain and Abel! But God does. HE loves each of us that much. And He offers forgiveness, acceptance, and redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ to ANYONE who will ask for it.
If we want to be more like Jesus, we have to learn to love like He does…to offer tolerance, grace, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and genuine care and concern to each of God’s creatures. We never know when our example might be the very thing that causes someone to say, “LORD…I want to be included…I want what he/she has. Will you have accept me into your Kingdom?”
The stakes are high…God so loved the WORLD…isn’t it time that we did, too?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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