This is what forever changed my relationship with God. According to world rankings of the most quoted bible verses in the world, John 3:16 tops the list. For some people this well loved biblical verse is so familiar they can recite it in their sleep, for others they have heard it at least more than thrice, for some they heard it just before they committed their lives to Christ and believe it or not some have never heard it before. I have heard this verse several times in my walk of faith. It is the verse that convinced me that I needed a personal saviour whose name is Jesus Christ. Now the blog heading is just the first part of the verse which is. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life”. In hindsight the undue emphasis was on whosoever believed would not perish but have eternal life. I can truthfully say that the perishing part was very persuasive in me giving up my rights. But my heart yearned for something more and the more I meditated on the verse the clearer and more believable the first part of the verse became. That God loved the world, God loved me and the reason He sent His son to die for me was yes to rescue me but more importantly because He loved me. That was His motivation, that was reason enough for Him to send Jesus on the biggest rescue mission of all time.
Now God has been described as many things in the bible, He has been described as Almighty, Creator, All knowing, Omnipresent, Potter but the author who gave us that most lovedverse said in another book that God is love and He showed us His love by sending His one and only son which ties in beautifully with the verse of John 3:16. Hint, hint just in case you didn’t get it the first time.
What is love, you may ask? As a mother I can truthfully say I experience it as a knowing, it is the inexplicable feeling I got when I first laid eyes on my children. My children are loved by me that is a fact, I may not like them all the time nor like some of the choices that they make but that does not mean they are excluded from my love. They are forever loved by me.
The bible goes on to describe love as patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boost, it is not proud. Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects.
Now if God is love it means that God is patient, God is kind,God does not envy God does not boost, God is not proud. God is not rude, God is not self-seeking, God is not easily angered, God keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. God always protects
God loves the world, God loves me and God loves you, because that is His nature.