Reckless Love

As I was praying in the night last night, I woke up asking the Lord what my next blog post should be about.  Before I could finish asking, I felt him saying “John 3:16”.

I waited and thought through other options, this and that. 

I asked again. Before I could finish asking, “John 3:16”.

Why John 3:16?

“Because I want people to know how much I love them.”

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever should believe in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”

God loves us so much.

God loves us enough to give his own son for us.  

Just for a moment, humor me; imagine this made-up scenario for yourself:

You are a parent.  Think of your child. What does he or she look like?  What is your favorite thing about them? What are their goals and dreams? Are you proud of them?  Are they beautiful to you?  Are they kind and loving to others?  Do you love them beyond measure?  Would you die for them?

Now, imagine this: you are asked to view a murderer, an adulterer, and a thief–all seeking redemption–in the same way as you view your child.  No, you are not only asked to view them as you do your child, but to love them in the same way. 

Not only that–imagine this: you are now asked to give up your beloved child’s life in order to allow those three individuals to have the opportunity to have an eternal life in heaven with God. 

Would you do it? 

You see, even if you did say ‘yes’ to the previous scenario, consider this: God wasn’t asked to do this by anyone; he did it because He loved us that much. 

• He loves us enough to have created us in his image and call us his own children. (Genesis 1:27, 1 John 3:1)

• He loves us with such a reckless love* as to have given his own son over to this world to be ridiculed, beaten, and slain for US to have an opportunity to accept this grace and have life with him forever. (Isaiah 53:5, *Luke 15:4-6)

• He loves us just as we are–with all our sins, our addictions, and our hateful hearts.  He really does.  Jesus loves everyone.  He loves the people who do wrong, the people who do right, the people who love him, and even the people who hate him. (Romans 5:8, 2 Peter 3:9)

This is the Good News.

You don’t have to clean up your act to cry out to Jesus; you don’t have to better yourself to ask him into your heart or sit at his feet; you don’t have to earn his love or better your life to get to know him.  The Truth is this: Jesus sees you right where you are, and He loves you unconditionally. In fact, He is madly in love with you.  (Jeremiah 31:3)

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” 

-Revelation 3:20