It Was Done In Love, For Us

It is written, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us" (1 John 3:16). How appropriate, and by the design of God, for both John 3:16, and 1 John 3:16, to speak of the love of God, and how Christ laid down His life for us. How sweet and precious the Saviors love is to ponder. You see, we had no relations to Jesus Christ, nor could we lay claim to Him, for we are vile sinners. When clay is misshapen by the potter on the wheel, the potter tends to discard the clay. Should not have God done the same with us in our misshapen, sinful nature? But instead, Jesus Christ, in His perfect love said, "I will go and pay their debt to the very last cent, and I will conform them to my image". Why would the perfect Savior do this for such a fallen world? The answer lies in John 3:16, when Jesus says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son", and then in 1 John 3:16, we see His love because He gave His life for us. So it wasn't because we are special, great, worthy, or deserved it, but it's simply because He LOVES us. However, by the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ, we can come to Him, and He can make us worthy of such great love. He can make us deserving of a relationship with Him and be able to call Him our Lord and Savior. He can make us great servants for His kingdom, and He can make us special in His sight. When we come to Christ and allow Him to transform us, we then show that love to others. In the same verse of 1 John 3, it teaches that we are to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. We are to live this love and show this love, for further down it is written, "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18). I challenge you all to read 1 John, and then read it again. Beloved, let us not only say we love, but let us always show that love; the love of Christ that is in you, let it flow to all around you. May the love, grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.