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 ESV
God has always loved us. Not just the best of us, but all of us. He created us in His image. He created the earth to sustain life. He sets limits on Satan’s evil power, dispatching His angels to intervene. He chose a people through which He would bless all the families of the world and reveal His nature. From the moment sin infected the human race, He had a plan of redemption in place. For thousands of years, He gave glimpses of how that plan would unfold. Promises and prophecies that were perfectly aligned throughout history. Then, at exactly the predetermined moment in history, He sent His Son, Jesus. The love of God wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
God is love. And His love is eternal. That night in Bethlehem, the physical demonstration of His love was born. Jesus left His heavenly home to enter humanity. To walk in our shoes. To reveal His love and His plan for reconciliation and redemption. To give us an example of how to live and how to love. Then – in the ultimate fulfillment of the salvation plan forged at the beginning of time – He gave His life. He paid the price for our sins once and for all and then raised to life claiming the final victory over sin and death. Now He lives, and His eternal Spirit lives in us. And one day soon, He will return to earth to reign forever.
At Christmas, and Easter, and every day of the year, never forget this fact – God loves you! He has always loved you. Everything He’s done throughout eternity has been because He loves you.
