A Love Like God's Love

Sometimes we become focused on our own little universe. We forget that the world is much larger than our small piece of it, that there are other nations and people. Many of us concentrate only on what we're familiar with--people who look like us, speak like us and believe the way we believe. But God sees the whole world. He knows each person in each culture and on every continent. But can He really love us all? Receive "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NLT). "We love each other because he loved us first" (1 John 4:19, NLT). "God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love--not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins (1 John 4:9-10, NLT).

• For whom did God send His Son?
• Whom does God love?
• Why should we love others?

Reflect John 3:16 tells us that God loves the world, the entire world. It's hard for us to grasp how many people are in the world. And when the Bible says, "the world," it doesn't mean only the world today; it means everyone who has ever lived on this earth: the multitudes who died before you were born. He loves everyone: the men and women who are homeless and hungry; those making terrorist threats around the world; your neighbors and, yes, even you. He loves those who don't even believe in Him. But what about you? Do you love the world? Do you see the world the way Christ does? Ask yourself:

• When was the last time I showed love to someone who wasn't like me?
• How long has it been since I've shared the Gospel with someone of another faith or a different culture?

Respond Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones. We have to remember that God loves us all the same, and we should love others the same. Take time today to pray and thank God for His love. Pray that you will be able to show that love He's given to you to someone who needs to see it.