“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16 ESV

I am guilty as the next person of taking God’s love for granted.  Maybe it’s not necessarily taking it for granted, but I sometimes just can’t wrap my head around the kind of love He has for me.  I mean Easter is a time when we reflect on the crucifixion and celebrate the resurrection.  Movies like the Passion of Christ help us to see what God really endured on the cross.  But God’s love for us is so awesome that in all honesty I sometimes find it hard to comprehend.  I mean I am a filthy worthless sinner and He is God, you see what I’m saying.  He formed the universe and created mankind and all the creatures of the sea and the sky.  He created all the animals.  I mean surely he created everything, just look at the beauty in the sky.  The other day I was passing a farm not far from us.  They have a large number of horses in their pastures.  There was a brand new palomino colt running around in the pasture on it’s little stick legs.  It was adorable.  So I have no doubt that God created the universe and everything in it, but how do I know that he could possibly love me.  Well it’s as simple as the children’s song that I used to sing in Sunday School, “the Bible tells me so.  Romans 5:8 says that God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Remember this, Jesus came to earth fully God and fully human.  I know that is another one that is hard to wrap our head around.  But as being fully human, he suffered temptation just as the rest of us did.  The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”  So when we are feeling the pressures of temptation know that Jesus has been there and done that and that He provides a way out if we will just turn to him. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil (Luke 4:2-13). He responded to the devil and resisted temptation by quoting scripture.  Jesus became angry, he overturned tables in the temple when he felt that they were misusing His Father’s house and turning it into a “den of robbers” (Matthew 21:12-13, John 2:14-16).  He experienced sadness, when Jesus learned that his friend Lazarus had died, he wept (John 11:35).  Jesus endured emotional and physical pain at the time of his crucifixion.  He was flogged, now this means that he was beaten with whip.  This whip had sharp objects at the end so that the skin was torn and in many cases when someone was flogged internal organs were exposed.  Some did not survive it.  After He was flogged, he was hanged on the cross where nails were driven into his hands and feet (Matthew 27).  For a good explanation of the process of flogging and crucifixion read the Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.  Now He was fully God so yes he could have called a legion of angels to remove him from this, but he endured it to save you and me.  So see this is the kind of love that God has for us.

John 15:13 says “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”.  So while we were still sinners, God proved his love for us by sending Jesus down to earth to die on the cross.  The baby whose birth we celebrate in December was sent to die for us and rise on the 3rd day.  So when we celebrate Easter remember from the manger to the cross, Jesus was sent because of God’s great love for us. He was sent to show us how to live our lives.  He was sent to show us how to lead a life filled with peace and joy.  There is no greater love.

My question for you is this, are you taking full advantage of the love God has for you and the awesome benefits that come with it?  Are you sitting on the fence just hoping that you’ll be good enough to make it to heaven?

God loves us more than anyone else on this planet ever will.  He loves us unconditionally.  However, he never forces His love on us.  It’s there for the taking.  So if you have not accepted Christ as your savior, know this, that He loves you.  He wants to guide you and protect you, but you must accept Him.  If you are unsure how to go about that, contact us through our website or talk to a trusted friend or pastor today.  None of us know how much time we have left here on earth so time is of the essence.  Establish a close relationship with your heavenly Father today.

Have a great day!