In review of John 3:16 it says, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (NLT).
Today’s verse is probably one of the most popular ones often quoted. It comes from the context in John 3:16-21. It says, for this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this facet: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear that their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.
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 for 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 my punishment, paid the price for my sins, and then offered me the new life that he had bought for me. When I share the Good News with others, my love must be like Jesus', willingly giving up my own comfort and security so that others might join me in receiving God's love.
Eternal life is not an extension of today's life; eternal life if God's life embodied in Christ given to all believers now as a guarantee that they will live forever. In eternal life there is no death, sickness, enemy, evil, or sin. When I didn't know Christ, I made choices as through this life is all I had. In reality, this life is just the introduction to eternity. I now receive this new life by faith and begin to evaluate all that happens from an eternal perspective.
To "believe" is more than my intellectual agreement that Jesus is God. It means that I put my trust and confidence in him that he alone can save me. It is to put Christ in charge of my present plans and eternal destiny. Believing is both trusting his words are reliable, and relying on him for the power to change.
People often try to protect themselves from their fears by putting their faith in something they do or have: good deeds, skill or intelligence, money or possessions. But only God can save me from the one thing that I really need to fear, eternal condemnation. I believe in God by recognizing the insufficiency of my own efforts to find salvation and by asking him to do his work in me. When Jesus talks about unbelievers, he means those who reject or ignore him completely, not those who have momentary doubts.
God loves me so much that he sent Jesus on a mission of love with a message of love. The Bible doesn’t say God has love; it says God is love. Love is his nature; God is love. God created the entire universe. He created this planet; he created the human race. Then he created me because he loves me. It could be said the reason I’m alive is because God created me as an object of his love. God made me so he could love me and so that I could love him. God’s love for me is the reason my heart’s beating right now; it’s the reason I’m breathing. God’s Good News is that he loves me on my good days as much as he loves me on my bad days. He loves me when I can feel his love, and he loves me when I can’t seem to feel his love. He loves me whether or not I think I deserve his love. There is nothing I can do that will make God stop loving me. I could try, but I simply can’t do it — because his love for me is based upon his character and not on anything I do or say or feel. God loves me so much that he sent his only Son, Jesus, into this world, “so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT). When Jesus stretched his arms out as wide as the cross, he was saying, “I love you this much! I love you so much it hurts. I love you so much I’ll die for you so that I won’t have to live without you.” God’s love surpasses all human knowledge, and it is difficult for me to grasp the width and length and height and depth of God’s love for me (see Ephesians 3:17-19).
Bottom Line:
God loves those in the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that those who believe in him will not perish, but have eternal life.
What this means to me:
God loved me so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that when I believed in and trusted him that I will no longer perish, but have eternal life with him.
In summary, God loved me so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that when I believe in and trust him that I would have eternal life. For God sent his Son not to judge but to save.This kind of love reaches out and draws others in. It is the pattern for true love, a willingness to give freely to the point of self-sacrifice. He willing gave up his own comfort and deity so that others can be saved Jesus accepted my punishment and paid the penalty for my sins. God made me to love me and so that I could love him. No matter what happens in my day, good or bad, he still loves me.
I thank you Father for your love and genuine concern for me. I want to refocus my day on loving you and loving others. I pray that you help me today, accomplish the key tasks in front of me, especially the employee reviews/evaluations. I ask you to help guide me in prioritization and in my loving communications with others. These things I pray in your Son Jesus name, Amen!
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