For God So Loved The World

 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” - John 3:16

In this season of great joy and cheer, there is something that is always overlooked. After the presents, music, laughter, and treats, there is something that we need to realize; possibly the greatest thing that we can ever ponder: God loves us. To fully understand this, let me rephrase it and say:

God loves You

I’m sure you’ve heard this before but consider this - He, God, our heavenly Father, whom creation bows down and sings to; He, who made and formed you; He, who has a name for all the stars in Heaven; He, God, who is Christ Jesus; He loved YOU first.

Our relationship with God is not one of a normal nature. It is not a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship where it can flourish one week and die the next. It is not a marriage relationship, where we will remain faithful and love our partner only if they remain faithful to us. There is no love quite like this. God loved you first, meaning, that He will love you no matter what. In our highs and our lows, He has always been there and will continue to do so. Even as we forget the promises we made to Him, address our spouse and kids out of anger, or say things in traffic that would make others blush, His love remains. There is nothing we can do to make God stop loving us. 

I believe that our first mission in life is not to love God, but to accept that He loves us. Our primary objective is not to devote time to God and to put Him first in all we do, but to acknowledge the fact and believe that He loves us. As we believe this truth, I believe that a natural response of adoration, reverence, and devotion will ensue.  

We love him, because He FIRST loved us - 1 John 4:19

Instead of attempting to measure up to God’s standards or trying to match His love (which we will NEVER be able to do), I encourage you - in this season - to focus on the love that God has for you. He started love; He is love; He gave love first; we need to accept Him.

If we turn our eyes to Jesus and the love that He has for us, every problem will fade away in the light of His glory and grace. If we focus on His love FIRST, keeping our love for Him second, everything else will fall into place. 

God loves you like you can’t imagine. He looks at you and smiles. He laughs with you, cries with you, and helps you every step of the way. It’s my prayer and hope that you believe that God loves you, no matter what you’ve done. There are no lost causes with God (the apostle Paul comes to mind). He will always be beside you, welcoming you with open arms. He loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you, not because He had to, but because He didn’t want to see you lost in your transgressions and sins. God loves you.

Happy 2022!

Here is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins - 1 John 4:10

Mauricio Paredes

Junior High Pastor