The Love of God

Our biblical text for today and the remainder of the week in our devotions
is the most widely recognized and quoted verse in the entire Word of God.

The Love of God

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

(John 3:16)

Our biblical text for today and the remainder of the week in our devotions is the most widely recognized and quoted verse in the entire Word of God. Followers of Jesus all over the world recite this verse in their own languages and quote it often in presenting the Gospel to others. What a joy it is to take a deeper dive into the meaning of this awesome verse. Martin Luther called John 3:16 "the heart of the Bible—the Gospel in miniature."

Someone has broken down the entire verse in the following helpful way that I want to share with you today:

"God": the greatest Lover
"So loved": the greatest degree
"The world": the greatest number
"That He gave": the greatest act
"His only begotten Son": the greatest gift
"That whosoever": the greatest invitation
"Believeth": the greatest simplicity
"In Him": the greatest Person
"Should not perish": the greatest deliverance
"But": the greatest difference
"Have": the greatest certainty
"Everlasting Life": the greatest possession

(Source.)

I invite all of us to engage with this wonderful biblical text and to use the words of psychologist Adam Grant to think it over again. I am currently reading Grant's newest book entitled, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know. He is an organizational psychologist at The Wharton School in Pennsylvania and voted top professor at the school for seven years in a row. I listened with much interest to an interview with him recently where he shared openly about his agnosticism. But you could tell he is open to rethinking or practicing what he preaches. His section in the book on a preacher, prosecutor, politician, and scientist is very insightful. So, for us who are believers, let us rethink John 3:16 and open our minds to new insights which God would teach us. For those who do not believe it to be true, I hope you will be open to rethinking John 3:16 and considering the possibility that it could actually be true.

Tomorrow we will get into the verse, but for today, think about it this way: If John 3:16 is really true, then that changes everything!

In our broken world… you can still live each day with hope!

Discover how Christ sustains you in difficult times with Pastor Danny’s series Living Hope – our thanks for your gift today.

Request ‘Living Hope’

Podcast of the Week

Family Goals, Pt. 8: Parental Advice, Pt. 2

Pastor Danny and his wife, Ashley, conclude their "Family Goals" series with some final words of advice for parents who seek to raise their children in the way of the Lord.

Listen on your preferred platform: