For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
When my wife and I were dating, I used to look forward to getting love letters from her. In fact, I still do, but back then, we were in a long-distance relationship. That was before the days of all the social media and the virtual meeting capability on every device. We did a lot of texting, but that was when the only available method was a number keypad to type on; so if you wanted to type the letter “C”, you had to push the number “1” three times to get to it. It was a long, tedious process to send a text. We emailed a lot, as well, but even though they were coming from my future wife, they were still just words on a computer screen. But a handwritten love letter from the girl of my dreams? That was something special. And something I really looked forward to.
As exhilarating as it was to get a letter from my wife, the greatest love letter ever written was when Jesus told us that He loved the whole world enough to give His life for us, and then He actually did it. No love was ever more righteous, and no motive was ever more pure than what Jesus showed us on the cross. It doesn’t matter what you have done in your past, Jesus loves you still. The things for which you cannot forgive yourself are of no consequence, for Jesus loves you still. The awful shame you feel for the sins of yesterday only drive the compassion in the heart of Christ to love you still. In fact, Romans 5:8 explains that the love of Jesus is so strong that, “…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Over two millennia have passed since the day on which Jesus drew His final breath, but on that day, His thoughts were only of you and me.
He knew that in 1983, along would come a boy that would be known as Steven Joseph Boots. He knew that boy was going to sin; He knew that boy was going to break His heart; and He knew that boy was going to need a Saviour. And that is why He loved me so much that He would die for me. And over and over again, He wrote of that love in the greatest love letter ever written, known today as the Bible. He knows all about you, as well, and He wants to be your Saviour. But His love is so strong and compassionate that He will not force it upon you; it must be accepted by each individual person. He loves you more than you will ever know. Won’t you accept His love today?
Read also: John 3:14-21
Quote of the day: “The gospel is the only story where the hero dies for the villain.”
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