John 3:16 is perhaps the most well known verse in all the Bible…and rightly so. I am not tired of it…I wish the whole world knew it by heart. It captures the endless wealth of the entire Gospel message in one verse. I have been meditating on just the first statement of that verse today and what inexhaustible riches are there. “For God so loved the world that He gave…” To say, “I love you” is one thing. But to express love through tangible transaction…that is another thing altogether. Love is a matter of action and not words alone. When a man proposes to a woman who he wants to marry, he bends his knee and holds out a diamond ring as a token of his love. He has said, “I love you” a thousand times before, but this time is like no other. No longer is it simply spoken words, now it is accompanied by a gift that is representative of his very life. Until the gift of life is given, true love has not been fully expressed.
A story is told of a young Catholic, German girl whose father was a printer. He was printing the German Bible that had just been translated by Luther against the will of the Catholic church. One day his young daughter found a scrap of paper that had fallen to the floor in the cutting room. The paper contain words from John 3:16, “God so loved the world that he gave…” but the rest of the verse was missing. She was intrigued by this statement. She read it to herself over and over, “God so loved the world that He gave.” She liked it so much that she kept it close to her heart and read it every day. She was raised to know that God was just, and Holy, that He hates sin and is angry with the sinner, but she had never read that God loved her so much that He gave…although she did not know what exactly He had given. This revelation brought such joy to her heart that she was singing, and her mother noticing the happy little girl asked, “What is the matter with you?” “Oh mother it is wonderful,” she said, pulling out the little sliver of paper. “Read what it says…‘God so loved the world that He gave.’” “Gave what?” her mother asked. “I don’t know, but if He loved me enough that He gave anything at all, I will never be afraid of Him again.”
More on God’s giving love tomorrow…
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Praise God Daniel, great post!
Hi Daniel Kolenda. Greetings to you in Jesus Name!
How are you today?. Fine I hope.
Would please add my emailing address to your emmailing list.
May God bless all of you!!
Paul
great story with the greatest message.i wouldnt care about any thing else but just to nkow that He would give every thing to a nobody like me(i said this with tears in my eyes)
Amen! That’s why it’s called the “Good News” Bob! God bless you!
I m doing the ministery of jesus christ in india punjab ,i have burden of will of God.
Keep doing the work of the ministry my friend. Blessings!