But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) . . . Ephesians 2:4-5 At Christmas we celebrate the fact that God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to earth as a humble baby. This child would become a man who would willingly die for the sins of all humanity. God loves us so much that He gave Jesus to take our place. He saved us from the righteous sentence that we deserve for our sins against holy God—a punishment of death and eternal separation from Him. What a truly indescribable gift!

It certainly is not possible for humans to fully depict the depths of God's love for us. However, we can start to grasp a glimmer of it in our hearts as we consider what the Bible, God's own Word, says to us about it. Let's remember, let's consider with a fresh outlook, how sweet and utterly complete the Heavenly Father's love is for us.

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 1 John 4:9-10
By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
There are many more references to God's great love for us—the greatest love of all!—in the Word. Give yourself a gift this Christmas. Carve out time to search the Scriptures and consider God's great love for you.

God bless you!
Pastor Jeff

"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." --Mother Teresa





© 2007 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.