Seems like I heard these before. I am sure you have noticed when your a politician and you campaign--your in so many different states you don't know what state you're in! Well, I think it's the same when you are winning souls not votes. I have to pause when I wake up and think about where I am. I did three Mission Trips in a row. In less than a year I have been to Ghana three times, Israel, Armenia, Fort Bend, Indiana, Denver Colorado, Philadelphia, and literally half-way around the world to Palau, just to name a few. So, the reason for the ooops. Hope you're enjoying them anyway. Just laugh with me. I appreciate the grace.
We continue this week my series on Divine Love. We established God is Love. He is the Source of love. Today, we see that we are the Subjects of His love from the five points I want to cover in this series:
We continue this week my series on Divine Love. We established God is Love. He is the Source of love. Today, we see that we are the Subjects of His love from the five points I want to cover in this series:
- Source
- Subject
- Substance
- Substitution
- Story
Think about that in personal terms. There are people who love and respect you; but if they knew certain things about you, they would change their minds about you.
God knows everything about you there is to know, yet God loves you anyway. This is the true basis for self-esteem. God loves you.
Martin Luther said it well: "God does not love us because we are valuable; we are valuable because God loves us."
God knows everything about you there is to know, yet God loves you anyway. This is the true basis for self-esteem. God loves you.
Martin Luther said it well: "God does not love us because we are valuable; we are valuable because God loves us."
God loves the world. Yet you still will misunderstand the love of God if you don’t know how God communicates His love. The text bears me up. The verse does not simply say God loved the world. It says, “God so loved the world.” That little word so (houto) means “in this manner.” Our English translations obscure this term somewhat: “God loved the world so much,” but it literally speaks of how God loved us, not how much God loves us. The message of the text is this: “In this manner God loved the world” or “This is how God loved the world.”
John 3:16 is about how God says, “I love you.” What’s the answer? Here it is: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son.” John 3:16 does not teach that God loves us so much that He would do anything for us. Rather, it teaches us that God loved us by doing something specific for us: He gave! You cannot know the love of God without embracing it in terms of the gift He gave to communicate His love for us. That gift was His only begotten Son. There is no greater love. However, many never receive the gift. The gift is what he sent to get us out of this world alive.
John 3:16 is about how God says, “I love you.” What’s the answer? Here it is: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son.” John 3:16 does not teach that God loves us so much that He would do anything for us. Rather, it teaches us that God loved us by doing something specific for us: He gave! You cannot know the love of God without embracing it in terms of the gift He gave to communicate His love for us. That gift was His only begotten Son. There is no greater love. However, many never receive the gift. The gift is what he sent to get us out of this world alive.
ACTION STEP: Think about how much God loves you specifically today. Then, ask Him what He would have you to do for those He loves? Focus on the creator not what He has created but who He has created. Who needs to know what you know? It is the goodness of God that leads a man to repentance. Show the goodness of God to someone who needs to know what He did for them and how He showed that love. Look for ways and opportunities to love. Remember love is only love if there is an action.
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