The Amazing Love of God

I love the song, "Such Love";
     That God should love a sinner such as I
     Should yearn to change my sorrow into bliss
     Nor rest till He had planned to bring me nigh
     How wonderful is love like this?
The words to the above song may not fully define my belief system but they come close! (See Hebrews 12:2)

John 3:16, "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," is probably the most well known scripture in the Christian world. I kind of laugh at myself when I remember that when I first turned to God, I thought of the above passage as a Baptist verse. I don't know when I came to the realization that John 3:16 was not a Baptist verse. It is not even a Pentecostal verse. It truly is a universal verse. I am glad for the day that the Lord Jesus caused me to know that He loved me and wanted me to serve Him. He said I should make Him my choice as He was the only reasonable choice I had. I made Jesus my choice that day in June of 1965 and have never been sorry.

He loves us! Listen to what God said through the prophet in Jeremiah  31:3, "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." God also said to Israel in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Its to bad that Israel had eyes to see and ears to hear but was blind and deaf to the love of God. He loved Israel although they never fully returned His love. But if I understand the scripture correctly, Israel was cast away so you and I could be included. 

In Ezekiel 18:31-32 God spoke through the prophet and said, "Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." God is not an ogre who is looking for the chance to pounce on sinners. In Ezekiel 33:8 He reiterates His words toward Israel and says, "As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" The Bible says in 2nd Peter 3:9 that,"The Lord... is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." What compassion, what love. 

The Bible says in John 13:1, "Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." Such love! Romans 5:10 says, " For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." (You ought to re-read Romans 5:6-11) Enemies? Yes in words and in actions. I don't know about you but the word enemy fit me to a "T" before Jesus came into my life. Thank you Lord Jesus for saving me! 

The Bible says in 1st John 4:9, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." (This is certainly a companion scripture to John 3:16) And then in 1st John 4:19 the Bible says, "We love him, because he first loved us." 
That beautiful song written by William Booth-Clibborn says it well;
     Oh How I Love Him, how I adore Him
     My breath my sunshine, my all in all
     The great Creator, became my Saviour
     And all God's fulness, dwelleth in Him
How can we respond to the amazing love of God for you and I? By committing all our ways to the Lord and not trusting in our own understanding. If you have never put your trust in the Lord Jesus, and His amazing love for you, trust Him today. (See Proverbs 3:5-6)