JOHN 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Today’s scripture is likely the most familiar of all verses in the Bible.  It is short but powerful, like a stick of dynamite. Martin Luther called John 3:16 “the heart of the Bible—the Gospel in miniature.”  It’s so simple a child can understand it; yet so deep in its marvelous truths about our redemption through the heart and actions of God.  With those truths in our minds, stop and ponder the depths and yet simplicity which lies in John 3:16.

Here we go . . .the greatest lover – God; the greatest degree of love – so loved;  the greatest number of love – the world; the greatest act of love – that He gave; the greatest gift of love – His only begotten Son; the greatest invitation – that whosoever; the greatest simplicity of love – believeth; the greatest Person of love – in Him; the greatest deliverance of love – should not perish; the greatest difference of love – but: the greatest certainty of love – have; and the greatest passion of love – everlasting life.

The depth of God’s love is unfathomable but is to be experienced.  In addition to what we just expounded word by word in John 3:16, here is another application.  What is revealed are the dimensions in the love of God – the breadth: God so loved the world, the length: that He gave His only begotten Son, the depth: that whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish, and the height: but shall have everlasting life.

When it comes to the love of God, we need to experience more of it.  Knowledge matters but only as it points us to God and His love.  The Apostle Paul would tell us it was the love of Christ that sustained and empowered his ministry, not his doctrine – For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

So how do we experience more of God’s love in Christ? How does the reality of Christ’s love become what it was in the Apostle Paul?  The first place is prayer, and God has provided it in the letter to the Ephesians.  Let’s close today’s nugget with this prayer and that it will become a passion in us to see and experience its answer –  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14-19).

PRAYER: “Father, help me to never lose sight of the simplicity of Your love for me in Your Gospel.”

QUOTE: “God so loved us with a love that demands nothing less than whole-hearted obedience.”