We have seen and recited the verse a thousand times: “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...”. We see “John 3:16” on a sign held up by a fan in the crowd of every sporting event. But have we ever really thought about the meaning of this passage? REALLY thought about it? It’s so easy to just go on autopilot, reciting by rote what we learned when we were younger: “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty...” or “Our Father, who art in Heaven...” It is challenging to concentrate on every word and meaning of these prayers we recite daily or weekly, year after year. We’re all human.
But this week, take the Gospel passage and replace “the world” with “me”. Then, take it a step further and replace “the world” with your name. Finally, the most challenging step, replace “the world” with the name of someone whom you find difficult to love, someone with whom your relationship struggles. In a very simple way, it will give you a personal understanding of how much God truly loves us...every one of us, no matter how many times we may fail.
God so loved __________ that He gave His only Son,
so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn _______
but that ________ might be saved through Him.