THE LOVE OF JESUS

We love Him, because HE FIRST LOVED US – 1 John 4:19

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (Jh.3:16). This is divine Love: Jesus loved not only His friends but also His enemies – the God-hating, Christ murdering world. Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” That is as high as human love can go, to die for your friends and your own loved ones. A man may be willing to die for his wife or his children, but to be willing to give his son to die that his worst enemy might live, can only be divine love.

“He first loved us”! We were the eternal targets of Jesus’ love, even when we were not worthy of it. The Bible states, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ dies for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Rom.5:8-10).

Wonder of wonders! While we were His enemies and thirsting for the blood of His sinless Son, God loved us so much that He gave His Son, who He loved above all else, to die on the cross that we might be saved. We cannot understand it, but thank God we can believe it. And when we do, we find the peace that nothing else can bring.

The Love of Jesus drew salvation’s plan and His grace brought it down to man! It will take all eternity to measure this Love of Jesus: “May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph.3:18-19). This Love of Jesus is so compelling, it is the magnet that draws believers together and attracts unbelievers to Christ (1Jh.4:20-21). The Love of Jesus makes all of the difference in the life of a Christian...all the difference in our lives!