2-15 Devotional Thots

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. (John 3:16)

“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…” Not that He gave a Son that was one of many; nor did He give a Son that was worthy of death, as some might. He gave the best. He gave His only begotten, the only one He had, and will ever have. He gave His greatest love, the dearest thing to His heart, His only Son. He gave perfection for imperfection. We were so important to Him that he gave the life of His bosom, the very blood of Himself. The words “only begotten” are important because there were no daughters either! Jesus was the only child of God; now, through Him, we too are children of God.

Some say that man has a soul, but the Bible says that man is a soul. The Book of Genesis says that God breathed into man the breath of life, and man became a “living soul.” (Gen. 2:7). Man does not possess a soul, as some imagine, but he is a soul, a precious, living, breathing soul. A soul is a precious thing to the Lord who created it. It was worth dying for. Even more, it was worth giving for. God both gave, and died for us, He did it all. Yes, God sent His Son, He gave His life, then He died Himself on the cross, and all for the price of a soul. He sent; He gave; He died, in that order, and all for you and me. This is the creature that God loved, and still loves. Oh that we might know that God loves us, and how that ought to stir our hearts for Him. Dear soul, know that God loves you “so much” that he is willing to do whatever it takes, and pay the utmost price for your restoration and redemption. You are worth it to Him. In a sense, you are worth more to Him than the life of His Son was, and that was proven at Calvary. If I may be so bold to say it, God cares more for us than He did for Jesus it seems, but not really, because now He has Him and us! Yes, He has Jesus, and he has us too, the off-spring of Jesus. It is a win-win situation with God. He gave life that we might gain life.

Only the fool of fools would reject the love of God. Love bestowed is love received, at least to the wise hearted. Love responds to love, it is a fact of nature. God first sought us out, and loved us before we were ever born, and those of us who see this love will love Him in return. The great love of God is there for us, but what will we do with it? That is a decision that we all must make on our own. - Marty Dunn