Loved Beyond Measure
“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [one and] [only] begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.”John 3:16 (AMP)
In the passage above, Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus about salvation. He told him that God so loved the world—and that truth resonates deeply within my soul. The world was so bent toward evil, yet God looked beyond all of our behaviors and gave Jesus to us so that we might choose to have life with Him.
It would seem that after God had destroyed the world through Noah, and the world had again turned back to evil, the last thing He would do would be to give the world the gift of His only Son! To comprehend this kind of love feels unfathomable. Yet Jesus said,
“I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.” John 13:34–35 (AMP)
In our human nature, it is impossible to love as Jesus loves us. But Jesus told His disciples that He would send them a Helper through the Holy Spirit. They were instructed to wait for the Holy Spirit before moving into the ministry of sharing the gospel with the world. Scripture says,
“But when the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—that is, the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father—He will testify and bear witness about Me.” John 15:26 (AMP)
When we find ourselves struggling to pray for our enemies and for those who persecute or misuse us, we can turn to the Holy Spirit and ensure that we are leaning on Him, not on ourselves. God gave us emotions so that we can feel His presence and understand His love, even as we face the ugliness of Satan’s attacks.
God promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us, meaning He is with us through the hardest of times. Jesus told us that we would have trouble in this world, but to take heart because He has overcome the world. He understands everything we will ever face, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to provide all we need to make it through.
The amazing part about this life is that we never have to go through it alone.
Key Takeaways
We can only love like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus did not wait for the world to change before offering His love—He loved us at our worst.
We will feel and experience the ugliness of the enemy, but that is exactly where we are called to share God’s love most.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19; Isaiah 55:11
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