“But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8
Inside of every person is a desire to be loved. But love can be a confusing word due to the variety of ways it is used in the culture today. I love chocolate. I love the beach. I love my family. The constant use of this word dulls its value. When a person hears or reads, “God loves you” is that the same as loving a new car or going on vacation? No, not at all. It’s not even close to the same kind of love.
The Bible says, “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT). Would you die for someone? Maybe…just maybe you’d be willing to die for a handful of people you love who love you back. But what about a rude grocery clerk, the thief who just broke into your car, or the co-worker spreading terrible rumors about you? Would you give up your life for one of these?
Let this truth soak in – God sent His Son to die for everyone! He sent His Son to die for you. Not because you are good, deserving, or clean from sin, but simply because He loves you. God didn’t wait for you or me to become loveable to love us. Instead, out of His great love He came to mankind and loved us first.
This type of love is called agape and it’s the highest form of love. Agape is a vastly different type of love than an affection for a box of chocolates or the beach. This is the love the human heart craves. This is the love you so desperately need. This is God’s way of loving mankind. It is sacrificial, unconditional, and unmerited. And God demonstrates His love by giving His one and only Son. Next time you bite into your favorite sweet treat think about how tremendously different your love for sugar is from God’s kind of love.
REFLECT
God shows His love through the sacrifice of His Son. How do you show love to God? How do you show love to others?
Many Blessings,
JJ
An Average Christian Gal Who Loves the Bible