Jesus Is All We Need: 10 Devotions to Experience the Rescuing Love of GodSample

We Are Saved Through Jesus

"For God so loved the world." JOHN 3:16 NIV

Several years ago, before Kristie's mom was diagnosed with cancer, our family was planning on moving to Hawaii, so we spent a lot of time there, preparing for the move. One Saturday, as I was walking toward my favorite palm tree to read my Bible, I decided to grab a tropical ice tea from the local Kwik-E-Mart.

When it was my turn to pay, the clerk pointed toward my Bible. "Does that work for you?" she asked.

"Yeah, it works for me," I said with a smile, "and for anyone who gets to know its Author. I actually used to think this whole book was fake, along with people who believed it. But over time, it became real to me."

She looked like she was considering what I'd said, so I smiled again, told her to keep the change, and flip-flopped my way toward my palm tree.

Now, I don't know if that woman ever began to read God's Word, but I do know that the Author of the Bible has a plan for her life better than anything she could imagine. The crux of that plan is found in today's verse, which is probably the world's most recognized Scripture. God loves the world so much - including you, me, and the clerk at the convenience store - that Jesus came to earth to live a perfect life and sacrifice Himself on our behalf. Everyone who puts their trust in Him no longer needs to live in fear, whether in this life or in eternity.

And it gets even better! If you don't mind, I'm going to sneak in two verses in one day. Right after today's verse, John 3:16, we encounter John 3:17. The context for both verses is a secret, nighttime meeting between Jesus and a highly trained religious leader. Jesus, summing up His mission in verse 17, says that He did not come here to condemn our world, but to save our world through His own life and death and resurrection!

That is the greatest news ever, and its message of ultimate hope is for everyone.

Takeaway: You are loved in a way so perfect that you will never fully understand it on earth.

Prayer: God, thank You for loving me so much, even with all my faults, that You sent Your Son to save me... and the world.