"Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God-for God is love. God showed how much He loved us by sending His only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." 1 John 4:7-10
It's been several years now since I received a very powerful e-mail forwarded by a friend. The gist of the e-mail was this:
Imagine you're married. You and your wife have dreamed about having a child together and finally you learn she is pregnant. The most beautiful baby boy is born nine months later and your dream has come true.
Then suddenly, you're watching TV and see a news flash. A deadly disease has broken out and is quickly spreading throughout the world. At first, hundreds are afflicted but that soon turns into thousands and within a week millions are stricken. Centers for Disease Control feverishly try to get get to the source of the disease with no success. Soon, many start to die and there seems to be little hope of finding a cure. You are afraid and won't go outside for fear that your family will perish, including your precious, innocent baby boy.
As you're sitting in your living room, contemplating whether this might be the end, your phone rings. As you answer it, the person on the other end of the line shares with you an unbelievable story. The hospital where your son was born had discovered a way to make an antidote to stop the disease and save all mankind. Then a chill runs down your spine as they share that your son has a very rare blood type and his blood is the only blood that will work to make the antidote. You're asked to bring him to the hospital.
You take your son in and think just a small amount of blood will be required to get the job done. But then the doctors break the horrifying news to you: the only way to make enough antidote to save the world is to take all of your son's blood. The doctors hand you a form to sign to grant permission to do it. You break down and cry, unable to withstand the choice you are faced with. Save your son and the world dies, including you and your son. Save the world and your precious, only son dies. Faced with these options, you tearfully decide that the world needs saved and give permission for them to start the process. You grasp your child's little hand as they take all his blood. Before long, his pale face breathes its last breath. You have given up your son to save the world. You did it out of love, not selfish love but a love that we call agape love...a love where you would be wiling to surrender anything, in this case your son, to save another.
This illustration is gut-wrenching but it shows us what Our Heavenly Father must have been faced with as He had to give His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for our disease...sin. As our scripture states today, through this sacrificing of Jesus, God showed His love for us and opened the gates of Heaven for entry into eternal life for all those who would trust and believe in His Son. It is defined in our passage as "real love".
Question: Do you know what real love is? Have you come to a place where you recognize the awesome sacrifice that God gave in His Only Son Jesus so that you could experience eternal life at this life's end? The Bible states, "Oh how great is the love the Father has lavished upon us. So that we might be called sons and daughters of God." What level of love have you shown your Heavenly Father in return? Have you lavished him with your total love and devotion? Have you validated your love for Him through your obedience to His Will for your life? Have you given your life to Him as a living sacrifice?
The bottom line is this...He gave us His all. Shouldn't we give the same back to Him in return?
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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