Love

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 Perhaps one of the most popular passages in all of Scripture, and one that you will often see in the endzone of football games, and for good reason. The entire gospel comes to a focus in this verse. God's love is not static or self-centered; it reaches out and draws others in. Here God sets the pattern of true love, the basis of all love relationships - when you love someone dearly, you are willing to give freely to the point of self-sacrifice. God paid dearly with the life of His Son, the highest price He could pay. Jesus accepted our punishment, paid the price for our sins, and then offered us the new life that He had bought for us. When we share the gospel with others, our love must be like Jesus' - willingly giving up our own comfort and security so that others might join us in receiving God's love. On Christmas day, more than 2000 years ago, this is exactly what Jesus did: gave up His own comfort and security in order to become one of us and fulfill the greatest promise that the world will ever know. God Bless you, J.H.