COVERED BY LOVE - His Sacrificial Love

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

-John 3:16

This verse here is one of the first, if not the first verse we were ever taught as a believer. It's the pinnacle of the gospel. God loved us so much, that He decided to send down His only son having Him give up His heavenly body to be incased in that which was made from the dust of the ground...for us. His one and only purpose was to die, not for his own sins, as He was blameless, free of any sin. But He was sent down to die for the sins of you and I. He experienced every feeling and emotion known to mankind in his 33 years of living and faced God's full judgement and wrath on our behalf as He was nailed on the cross. He was not exempt from the pain and suffering that we experience here on this Earth for 'this High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do'(Hebrew 4:15). Can you imagine such a love? Such a sacrificial love.

What is love? This is a question that has been asked for many years. We try to come up with our own definition of love, in our human understanding, but I want to let you know today that you cannot know true love without knowing God. To know love is to know God. He is the very definition of love. We wouldn't know love or have the capacity to love without Him. Love covers a multitude of sins. When God decided to give His only son, it was an exchange for our sins. There was no one blameless enough, pure enough for such a sacrifice, so He gave His own. We did not deserve such a sacrifice, but such a sacrifice was not determined or measured by our worth, but rather the love that God had for us. Can you imagine such a love? Such a sacrificial love.

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. - 1 Peter 4:8

The Lord would not ask us to do a thing that His son did not first exemplify.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner" - John 5:19

He is the blueprint that we ought to follow. So when the word says to 'continue to show deep love for each other', we ought to do just that. Jesus did it first, so we could know how. He desires for us to also love one another sacrificially, so He made the way for us to know how. You see, love is patient, love is kind, it keeps no record of wrong and endures through every circumstance. That's what Jesus exemplified. He was patient with us, He was ever so kind keeping no records of wrong. Loving us still as He was sacrificed for us because of us. That is a deep love, that is true love, a love that covers all of our sins, a love that is sacrificial. We must follow the blueprint that was left behind when it comes to loving one another. It was not a mere suggestion, but rather a command — we must hold this command dear to our hearts. We ought to love one another the same way Jesus did. It is not an easy task, however, His grace is sufficient.

If you are ready and have decided in your heart to follow this blueprint, say this prayer:

God, I humbly come before You today and ask that You show me how to love like You. Show me how to love with kindness, with patience. Help me to continue to show deep love to my brothers and sisters no matter the circumstance. Give me more understanding when it comes to love - give me grace to love like You do. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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"Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love"

- 1 Corinthians 13:13