John 3:16
“For God
loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
We often
hear those words and fail to realize the deep love that God has for each of us.
Christ came into our world, where he knew he would be rejected, persecuted and
eventually crucified. He chose to come into our world as baby, not because he
had to, but because he chose to out of love. The love demonstrated in the
manger is not truly understood until we see the love of the cross. As Jesus lay
in the manger, the shadow of the cross already was dawning on his life. The
love of God would go much deeper than a mere emotion or feeling instead it would
be act of complete sacrifice by God himself who was willing to die a cruel
death out love for you and me!!!
God’s love
for you is unconditional, his love is not based on what you have done, or how
good you may or may not be. He looks at our life sees the brokenness, the sin,
and the disappointments and chooses to love us anyway! There has never been a
greater demonstration of love than the Jesus being born in a manger to die on a
cross.
Christ was
willing to lay down his life for us! He was willing to leave the splendors and
comforts of heaven and take on the form of a helpless baby, dependent upon the
very people he had created. He was willing to sacrifice his Divine rights as
God for the mortality of the human race which would eventually torture and kill
him. Why? No other reason than love!!!
The Apostle
John wrote in John 15:12-13 “this is my commandment: Love each other in the
same way I have loved you. There is no
greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Jesus’ love for us
was so great that he was willing to lay down his life for us.”
Christ made
the ultimate sacrifice of love for us!
Not only
has God loved us, but we have the opportunity to share that love with other
people. The world around us is hurting and broken and we have the opportunity
to share God’s love with people who have never experienced this type of love.
May you receive that love this Christmas and may you in turn give the gift of
love to others!
