“For God so loved the world…”

John 3:16 NIV

Most of us get a thrill from giving gifts to those who are precious to us. Our hearts look forward to blessing them with something that will make them smile, comfort, or help them.

God made us in His image. Therefore, it stands to reason God is also thrilled to give good gifts to those He loves.

Our God is a God of love. It is at the center of His being. And He is our Father if we acknowledge, accept and believe that Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son, and invite Him to be the Lord and Saviour of our lives.

Our Father.

In Matthew 7:7-11, the Lord says that whatever we seek or ask for, we will get because our Father in Heaven is mightier and more loving than earthly fathers. If we long to and get excited about giving wonderful, exciting gifts to our children, how much more does the One who created us?

The difference is that God knows the perfect gift for each of us. For all of us. But what we ask for and believe we need may not be in our best interest. It’s like my grandson asking for a real drill. Knowing he is too young and weak to use it, I give him a toy one for his better enjoyment and protection.

For God so loved….

Out of His great love, the Lord sometimes gives us what we wouldn’t ask for, but in hindsight, we realize we needed. I am eternally grateful God did not give me some of the “gifts” I longed for and begged for. We may never see or understand why God didn’t give us what we asked for in this life, but we need to trust in His character, knowing He loves us and is a good Father.

the world….

God loved us so much that He gave us His greatest and most precious gift, His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. I don’t fully grasp the mystery of the Trinity, but I know the fear of almost losing a son. I can’t imagine willingly giving up my son for people who didn’t deserve or want that priceless gift. Yet God the Father did exactly that so He could adopt us into His family. He ripped a part of Himself out and sent His Son down into the cesspool of humanity, who refused to acknowledge or believe Him. This is a love beyond our comprehension, a supernatural love.

Advent isn’t about finishing up our shopping, baking, or Christmas card writing in time for those we love. It isn’t about everything going the way we want it. It’s about preparing our hearts and minds to absorb the truth of the best present we have ever been given. The one thing we need to be filled and content. Our Father’s love.

I encourage you to revel in the perfect gift of God’s love this week. Accept it, open it and rest in it. Take 10–15 minutes each day to read through the gospel passages about it. As we do, let us marvel, rejoice and give thanks that God so loved the world!

Be well!

Patricia