WHAT GOD’S LOVE MEANS, AND ESPECIALLY TO ME – SHARON

God IS love. He doesn’t just love us; He is the essence of what love means.

We just celebrated Easter Sunday recently, the day Jesus rose from the dead. Did you think about what Easter means for you? Was it a day of being grateful, humble and joyful for what Jesus did for you on the cross and rising again? Did it have any effect on your life at all?

John 3:16 says, “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.”

Why did Jesus have to die?

God the Father desired to make mankind righteous (sinless) in His eyes once again, like it was before Adam and Eve sinned. He couldn’t bear to live without us because He loves us and yearned to have a relationship with us once again. Because Adam and Eve sinned, that meant all of mankind, then and in the future, would be sinners in God’s sight. No sin can ever enter into His Heaven. God is sinless and so is Heaven. With Adam and Eve’s sin, came consequences, which continue to this day – one of which is eternal death. God had a plan regarding ridding people of sin and eternal death. Because God continued to love mankind, even with their sinful nature, He sent His sinless Son, Jesus Christ, from Heaven to earth to live life with mankind and then allowed mankind to beat Jesus and nail Him to a cross to shed His blood and die to pay for the sins of everyone so they could become righteous (sinless) once again so they could have a restored relationship with God.

Now because Jesus did this for us doesn’t mean everyone on earth is now righteous in God’s sight. In order to be saved from your sin penalty of eternal hell and become righteous, you must come humbly before God to confess and repent of your sins and by faith, trust in Jesus’ death on the cross for your sin penalty, in Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, and in the fact that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Jesus IS God! Without Jesus’ resurrection, we would have no chance of eternal life. Jesus conquered death for us. Everyone needs to make a personal decision to believe in Jesus death and resurrection!

It was a sacrifice for God the Father to send His only Son down to earth to do this for us. It was an obedient Son to obey His Father and endure this for us.

There is a story about a young brother and sister. The sister was very ill and she needed a blood transfusion. Her brother’s blood was a perfect match. He was asked to give blood for his sister. He was afraid, but he loved his sister, so he said yes. The day came and they both went into a room in the hospital where blood was given and received. When they were done, the brother said, “How come I didn’t die? I thought I was going to die.” He was relieved. The brother’s love for his sister was greater than his love for life and himself.

Jesus’ love for us was greater than His own life and love for Himself. Jesus humbled Himself for us. The difference between these two stories is when Jesus shed His blood for us, He also died. Fortunately for us, His death was temporary. He rose again to give us eternal life.

That’s some kind of love for us!!!

Where are you regarding God’s love for you? Think long and hard about what Jesus did for you. Make a decision to trust in Him by faith and then give Him your life in service to Him. Become a child of God and enter into God’s family. When you do, you’ll find many brothers and sisters who are serving Him, too.

What God’s love means and has done for me — Sharon

God’s love for me, Sharon, has changed my life. I have my sins forgiven, past and future, and eternal life in Heaven. I have the desire to serve God and follow God’s plan for my life. God has given me the desire to share what Jesus has done for me and lead other people to Him. I love Christian music that praises Jesus. I love Christian books that focus on God. I love studying the Bible. I love studying what the Bible says about what is going to happen in the future end times for this earth and what it says about Heaven. I love my local church where we can go and worship God by hearing Biblical truth taught and hearing and singing great music. I love our great friends there, too. I look forward to when Jesus comes and takes His children home to Heaven, which includes me. I look forward to seeing Jesus face to face. I’m sure I will fall down on my healed knees or even on my face and worship Him crying Holy, Holy, Holy. Holy is the Lord God, Almighty. What a wonderful day that will be!

Don’t you want to experience God’s forgiveness, Heaven, God’s love and a life that has purpose? Don’t you want to have this unbelievable hope for your future? I’m praying for you.

Sharon