We’ve seen the signs everywhere (especially if you’ve spent anytime walking around Las Vegas Blvd.)... “God loves you!” It’s on billboards and on the side of the road... and what’s happened is we’ve become desensitized to them—we’re missing the miracle God has provided. We roll our eyes at the sign-holder, thinking “Well, of course he does...” But we are taking his love for granted.
Try something for me... forget about the familiarity in the passage and read it out loud, inserting your name in the blanks:
For God so loved _______ that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn ______, but to save ______ through him (John 3:16-17).
Was that weird for you? Did you experience hesitation? Was it uncomfortable for you to get that personal with something God did for the world? After all, you’re just one person among the billions, right? The world includes YOU! Don’t miss the wonder of it! Resist that tendency to water this down or miss its impact.
I mean... do you get it?! Do you see it?! God doesn’t just LIKE you—he LOVES you! So much that he gave up the thing most dear to him—his son—so you could have a relationship with him.
Paul calls this sacrifice on the cross an “indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:5). Has it become TOO describable for you? Or are you still blown away by what all this means?? Think about that... and allow yourself to enter that uncomfortable place of awe, when you fully realize that when the Bible says “For God so loved the world...” —it means YOU. For God so loved... —YOU.
