1 John 4:7-9
We were created to be members of God’s family and recipients of His perfect love. Through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus, He demonstrated just how much He loves us. When we receive Christ as our Savior, we become His children. We experience His unconditional love. Divine affection for us doesn’t vary in quality or quantity. It’ll never end or even diminish. No circumstance can cause the Lord to stop loving us.
We see these truths lived out in the lives of three people in the New Testament.
First, consider the Roman soldier who asked Jesus to heal his servant. The soldier’s request wasn’t ignored because he wasn’t one of the Jews, which were God’s chosen people. Seeing the man’s genuine faith, the Lord granted his request out of love for him.
Jesus also extended His forgiving love to the crucified thief who confessed his guilt and expressed faith in Christ.
And lastly, before his conversion, the apostle Paul was convinced Jesus wasn’t the promised Messiah. Paul believed His followers must be stopped. To that end, Paul persecuted the Christian Jews and uttered murderous threats against the church. God’s love didn’t even skip over one so violently opposed to His children. On the road to Damascus, the Lord appeared to Paul with an offer of salvation and gave him a great work to do. He asked Paul to spread His word to the Gentile world.
The human mind can’t fully comprehend divine love. In Christ, thieves, persecutors, and those who may look like outsiders are all equally loved.
Used with Permission
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