“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
It’s hard to believe that January has already come and gone, and we have now moved into February, the month of love. With Valentine’s Day being the major holiday this month, people’s focus, it seems more than any other time of the year, is on who they love and who loves them. It’s a month filled with cards, and chocolate, and roses, and jewelry, and candy, and expensive dinners. We find that it’s easy during this month to go all out to show the people in our lives how much we love them; to celebrate the important relationships in our lives, whether that be significant others, children, parents, dear friends, or someone else.
This is why I thought it so important to share the two Bible verses above; these are two of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible; most people can recite them from memory at a moment’s notice. However, when was the last time that you really contemplated the meaning and significance of these verses? So, as we celebrate the gift of loving relationships this month, I want all of us to pause and reflect on the most real, the most significant, the most impactful love that any of us could ever know: the love of God; a love that knows no bounds, a love that is willing to sacrifice.
And, when I think about the sacrificial love that God has for us; a love that moved Him to send His Son to die for us, my mind is often drawn to an experience I had when I was in high school. During those years, I was part of a youth drama team at my church; we put on skits, and other things of that nature, that had a Christian message. One of the skits that we did was to act out a song that reflected heavily on Christ’s crucifixion. In the skit, I played the part of Christ replete with carrying a cross and being “beaten” by the other teenagers portraying the guards. The Sunday after we had done the skit, we had a time for testimonials in the Sunday night worship service. My mom stood up and said that the skit the previous Sunday had made the crucifixion more real than ever to her. She said that she could not comprehend the gift that God has given us in His Son because, as she said, “I realized that I don’t love any of you all enough to sacrifice my son for you.” It was a very real and emotional moment that displayed the powerful love that a parent has for their child. And I’ll readily admit that, being a parent now myself, I agree with my mom: I love all of you very dearly, but I don’t love any of you enough to sacrifice my children for you.
But, that is exactly how much God loves you; He loves you so deeply that He sent His only Son, HIs ONLY Son, to be sacrificed so that you, specifically you reading this right now, could have eternal life in His presence. But, even more than that, He sent His only Son to be sacrificed for you while you were still a sinner. That means, while you were rebelling against God, while you were living your life completely outside of His will, while you were His enemy, He still loved you so much that He sent His Son to suffer and die so that you wouldn’t have to. There has never been a greater love than that! Romeo and Juliet pale in comparison!
God’s love is infinite, God’s love is boundless, God’s love will never fade or die; there is nothing that you could ever do to make God stop loving you. How amazing is that? The very thought leaves me at a loss for words! If God loves each of us that much, there should be no other response than to love Him right back and to commit to spending our lives serving Him. So, during this February, this season of love, as we rightfully remember our loved ones here on Earth, let us not forget our great, merciful, and compassionate God. Remember the love God has for you, and let it be a comfort and support to you, not just in February, but all throughout the year. We serve a God of limitless love! Hallelujah! What a Savior!
May the blessings of the Father and the peace of the Son be with you,
Pastor Keith
