God’s Love: Day 1

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.—Ephesians 2:8-9

Take a moment and read John 3:16. If it’s a verse that’s familiar to you, try and read it with fresh eyes. Read it as if you were encountering it for the first time. Let its message sink in.

As you go through your day, there are two points to take away from this verse. The first is that God’s love is giving. Because God loves us, His created people, He wants to have a relationship with us. But this is impossible because of our sin. Unless, that is, God made it possible for a great sacrifice to remove the punishment our sin earns. This verse tells us that God gave His own perfect Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for our sins. Do you realize how incredible this is!

God’s love is wrapped up in who He is. God is love. And he wanted a relationship with us. So, He gave His love. It was a gift. An amazing, powerful gift. What an awesome thought!

The second thought to consider today is that the love God showed by sending Christ makes it possible for anyone who believes in Him to have a relationship with Him. Our relationship with God is based on His character and sacrifice, not our performance.

There’s no one so bad that he or she can’t come to God and experience His love!

Read Ephesians 2:8-9. Take a minute to think about what this means in your own life. There is absolutely nothing you can do to earn this love that God shows. Have you tried to be good enough? You never will be. Have you tried to follow all of the rules to the letter? At some point you’ll mess up.

Here’s the great news! God’s love alone allows this relationship in spite of our failures. You learned in your Bible study this week that God’s love is unfailing. It does what we can’t do. It allows us to have a relationship with Him. And that is a powerful, powerful truth to consider!

Something To Think About . . .

• Take a moment to simply talk to God in a prayer and thank Him for His unfailing love that will never leave you hanging no matter what you do or don’t do.
• Then, think about one way you can keep this truth in front of you today. How can you make sure you remember today that God’s love will never leave you?