Love

I have been given the perfect illustration of God's love.

Would you like to see?

This...

...is my daughter Melody Joan. She provides a daily reminder of the endless love of God for me.

It is not because she was a miracle gift from him after we had been told we could not have kids and spent years as a married couple believing that we would not have a family.

It is not because she has a remarkably joyful personality, and she brings light and love to my wife and me on an endless basis.

So why is she a "perfect illustration" of God's love?

It is because she is, and most probably will remain, my one and only child.

The Bible tells us that "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) You see, Christ is the one and only son of God.

God literally sacrificed his only child on my behalf, and on your behalf.

As you read this, whoever you are, you have a certain relationship to me. You may be immediate family or a distant relative. A close friend or a mere acquaintance. A brother or sister in Christ or a complete stranger. Whatever our relationship, I have some degree of love in my heart for you. That degree varies according to our relationship and situation. I truly love some of you very dearly.

Still, would you like to guess how many of you, how many people in all of human history, mean so much to me that I would sacrifice my Melody Joan on your behalf?

To quote Phil from the mail room on Boy Meets World, "I'll give you a hint. It's less than two."

That's why she perfectly illustrates the love of God for me. Knowing how much I love her, and how unwilling I am to give her up for virtually anybody, I can appreciate how much more God loves me if he was willing to give up his son for me.

That amount of love for me is also how much love he has for you. Even if you were the only person in history, God still would have made that sacrifice. For you.

For you.

That is the truest love.

It is a truly sobering reality.

Scripture: "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

Quote: "Grace means the free, unmerited, unexpected love of God and all the benefits, delights, and comforts which flow from it. It means that while we were sinners and enemies, we have been treated as sons and heirs." - R.P.C. Hanson

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