For God so loved the world...

Just now, a good friend of mine and I were talking about love. Not abnormal in society, right? People are always talking about it in someway. Talking about the love they have or want for another person. The love they have for their family. Their lack of love for their opponent. The love they have for sex, drugs, alcohol. The love that they have for music. The love they have for coca-cola. The love they have for a movie or TV series. The love they have for spaghetti. The love they have for their favourite sports team. The love that they  have (or lack thereof) for their saviour. 

Love makes the world go 'round according to many sources in the media. I agree. But for an entirely different reason than chemicals and physical attraction. 

Love started it all and ended it all, in the form of Jesus. Alpha and Omega. Beginning and End.

There are many well known verses of scripture that talk about love. John 3:16 "for God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son..." "1 Corinthians 13 "love is patient, love is kind..." and many, many more. The bible tells us that God loves us more than we can believe or imagine. That his love took on humanity in the shape of Jesus. This is a well known name. A well known life and a well known cause. Most children have heard of Jesus. Most know the story of his life before they finish elemantary school. But how many of us actually sit down and think about it?

My friend and I did just that. Started by her devotion this afternoon she brought up 1 Cor 13:8 (Love never ends). This brought us to think about how we have no idea what love is. 

In the end, we realized this. God died to save us. God sent Jesus to save us. 

Would we do the same in his situation? Would we die to save someone we loved? Would we step in front of that bullet to save our mother? brother? sister? A lot of people would say yes, and would be entirely honest in that answer. 

What about this... would you die to save a stranger? maybe you would. 

would you die to save someone who was stealing from you? 

would you die to save a murderer? 

would you die to save a hitler? an osama bin laden? Even I have to say that I probably wouldn't. 

Jesus would. Our sin is deplorable to him. Our sin is the worst thing in the universe. He cannot stand to be in the presence of sin. Sin is to Jesus as terrorism is to us. Would we die for a terrorist so that they could live? No. Most of us would not. We would stand aside and let that person die. They deserve it right? 

God agrees, but he loves us SO much that he could not stand to see that happen. 

Lets go a bit further, though, because God certainly did. 

Would you raise your only son, knowing from the moment of conception that they would be raised to die for a loved one?

how about a stranger?

what about a murderer?

what about the worst terrorist that you can think of?

Would I? I certainly would not, in all honesty. I would hold them close to keep them safe. 

That is what God has done for us. That is what he has done for me. For you. For everyone. 

and what do we do in return? we throw it all in his face and keep on sinning. 

This conversation with my friend was a very sobering one indeed. 

Is it sobering for you?