Perfect Love

For God so loved the world HE gave His only begotten SON that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life John 3:16

The more I recite this verse, SLOWLY meditating on each segment, I can see the action of God’s perfect love for me.  A glimpse of this love is revealed in Genesis 22:1-24 when Abraham is told to offer his one and only son whom he loved as a burnt offering to God.

(Did you know this is the first place the words love, worship and obey are used in the Bible?)

To love a child so much.  One who had not harmed anyone.  A child of he and Sarah’s senior years.  They had longed for him for so long that it had become humanly impossible for them to conceive. BUT God… God loved Abraham and gave him the desire of his heart.  Not just an heir, but a son whom he loved with every fiber of his being. Can you imagine the bond that must have formed between him and Isaac?  My heart just aches for him at this moment.

But…then…just when I think there isn’t any more to see!  I see a man, Abraham, who loves God so much he was willing to give, sacrifice the best he had to show God that their relationship was his priority. You don’t see him haggle with God, however, you do see his love, submission, obedience, humility which all equate to worship.

Fast forwarding, Isaac is now on the altar tied up as the lamb for the burnt offering. Isaac is a son who not only loves but trusts his Father as well.  He seems as meek as the lamb that would be sacrificed. Look at the amazing infinite circle of love.  One in which each does their part to grow that love.  As Abraham learns to love God more, he learns to trust Him more.  Abrahams level of faith is remarkable, to say the least.  It is one which is a product of the love he has for Him.  Great Love = Great Faith (at least in this testimony).

Abraham loved so deeply he was willing to give, not wanting to withhold anything good thing from Him… Even his son.

Going forward in time, we see another Father who has a love for His Son whom He gave as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.  This sacrifice was the only way to cover the sins of His children and bring them back into relationship with Him.

We, you and I are the children He pursued.  His actions, which were set in place since the beginning of time, always had us in mind.  What patience and long-suffering He displayed waiting for the divine moment.  The perfect time.  He could have just said I love you, but He did not just say it with a tender period at the end of the declaration.  God shouted it with an exclamation point!   I love you!  He shouted with His only begotten Son hanging on the cross for all the world to see. He demonstrated it by allowing a part of Himself to be sacrificed. We also see a Son who loved His Father and was willing to be the sacrificer and the sacrifice; the “exclamation point” of His love. The love for mankind is front and center.

Can you feel this perfect love?  Can you feel the depth of it? Are you moving past just hearing John 3:16 to feeling its necessity to your physical and spiritual life? Is your spirit invigorated? “For God… so loved… the world… that He gave… His only begotten Son…, that whoever… believes in Him will not perish… but have eternal life.” Meditating on this at this time should begin to stir praise and worship within each one of us.

A love that is patient, kind, not jealous, bears ALL things, believes ALL things, and endures ALL things (1 Corinthians 13).  A love that provides eternal life with Him if we will come back to His loving arms and walk in His ways. A love that sacrificed ALL FOR ALL.

There is still so much to say, and I know I have not covered everything. However, I pray that what was laid on my heart will be a blessing to you.