Almost every day, I witness my husband working relentlessly to provide for our family. He’s one of the hardest workers I know. Recently, we began renovating our new home. We had to cut down several trees to make room for a new garage. In a matter of about thirty minutes, my husband cut down five trees, but on the last one the chainsaw clipped his knee and landed him in the emergency room. He is recovering nicely but has been sidelined for a while. Five very kind individuals came in to finish the project. Despite the personal risks, they all acted from a place of love for family and friends.

Many can probably relate to witnessing a selfless act fueled by love. In the Scripture for today, Jesus references the Father’s deep love for the world. Our Father could not and would not rest, knowing the predicament humanity was in when Adam and Eve brought sin into the world (Genesis 3). Perfect fellowship with God was broken, and humanity would never be good enough to restore the relationship (Romans 3:23 & 6:23). “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us” (Ephesians 2:4), entered our sinful world, lived the perfect life by obeying the law to the ‘T’, was crucified in our place on the cross, and rose on the third day, victorious over sin, death and the devil. As Jesus said in today’s verse, “Whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

While humanity’s acts of love and kindness reflect God’s love to a degree, the height, width and depth of God’s love is boundless (Ephesians 3:18). Man’s acts of love are often for a family member, friend, or maybe even a stranger. God’s love, on the other hand, is for all mankind, demonstrated by Jesus dying on the cross for us while we were still sinners and His enemies (Romans 5:8).

Today, in the midst of all that is wrong in our broken world brought about by sinful humanity, know that God’s love surrounds you in the free gift of salvation. By trusting in the work Jesus did for you on the cross, you receive His righteousness and enjoy a restored relationship with our Father in Heaven. Blessed be His name!

Questions to Ask Yourself

1. Who in your circle of influence needs to hear about God’s redeeming love? Pray for opportunities to share your testimony and the Gospel with those people. Pray that their eyes would be opened and that God would soften their hearts.
2. Does your life reflect your obedience to Jesus as your Savior and Lord? Pray that God would reveal anything you need to confess and release to Him, so that your Christian walk would lead others to Jesus.