God's Love - It's a Beautiful Thing

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is real love - not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.”- 1 John 4:9-10 ^NIV

            You would more than likely die in the place of a friend or a family member, but would you die for your enemy? That’s what Christ did. Those who are sinners against God - the Father, were at enmity with him or at the very least ambivalent towards him. God has only one Son and he sent him to earth to live among those who know him not. Jesus knew they needed to know him in a very personal way, so he willingly co-existed with mankind. He taught the scriptures, healed both the sick and the dead, and offered forgiveness just for the asking. 

            Wanting only those who were willing to align themselves with him, God gave man a free will to choose which path they would take in life. The options were presented. Live for all eternity with God or die in your sins with no hope of reprieve. Seems like a pretty easy choice, but the pull to remain autonomous is strong, therefore, far too many people put off till tomorrow what should be decided today. 

            If you ever wanted a picture of love, it would be one of a bloody and beaten Christ nailed with Roman spikes to a wooden cross. If you want to read scripture that describes love, all you would need to do is turn to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. That explains what God is.  The LORD God said of himself “I AM”. I choose to add to those iconic, eternal words with I AM love, I AM merciful, I AM your healer, I AM your sacrifice … and that’s just a few. God loves us without exception and without conditions. It’s a beautiful thing, is it not? Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries