Dr. Dan Hayden • 

When you were a child, did you ever spread your arms as far out as you could and say to someone special, “I love you this much!”? Well that’s what God did.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world…” Did you notice that little word “so”? That little word actually means “in this manner,” or “in this way.”

 

The verse goes on to say, “…that He gave His only begotten Son.” That’s the way He loved – by giving His only begotten Son as the sacrifice for our sins.

There was a tough street kid in Philadelphia who learned that his sister had been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. She was scheduled for an operation, but she needed a rare type of blood that only her rough street-kid brother could provide. He had never given blood before and the thought of it scared him. But after thinking about it for a while, he decided that he would go ahead and do it for his sister’s sake. Soon he was lying on the table watching his blood flow through the tube. Then, suddenly he looked over at the nurse and said, “Hey nurse, when do I croak?” You see, he had misunderstood the process. He had thought that to give his blood was to give his life.

In like manner, Jesus Christ gave his blood for us and in the process, He also gave his life. God spread His arms as far as He could reach as someone pounded nails in His hands, and He said to you and to me, “I love you this much.” “For God so loved the world…”

This is a reminder that God’s love is incredible!