Scripture: 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.

Normally, I use the New International Version, but this verse requires the King James. This is the way I memorized it. The same goes for the 23rd Psalm and Phillipians 4:13. Today, I want to focus on the word “loved”. God so loved the world. That’s me and you. What does love mean? We use that word for a lot of things today. I love my car. I love my job. I love the mountains. I love my family. I love those chili cheese pups from Krystal. (Ok, I’m a little weird. And, just so you know, this is Rodney and not Mike or Lyndal.) But with what kind of love did God love us? The closest we can come is our love for a child or some other family member. God loves us as his children. God loves us as his creation. He loved us enough to die for us. Did you get that? He died for us. And what does he want in return? He wants us to love him back. The same way he loves us. Unconditionally! When things are great. When things are terrible. When they’re in between. Not to get anything but because he has given us everything. He’s given us everlasting life!

Abba Father,

Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us your son. Help us all to love more.

In the blessed name of Jesus,

Amen