"Love Revealed"

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

This is one of my favorite scriptures. It so beautifully expresses the nature and character of God- giving us a little better understanding of who He is.

In this scripture we see that God loves us. We discover that His love for us is not based on the fact that we are perfect- because we aren't- or that we don't make mistakes- because we do. We also discover that His love for us is not even based on the fact of us loving Him in return. He loves the sinner, the unlovable, the imperfect. He loves those who reject Him, are enemies against Him, who disobey Him, who blaspheme Him. He loves unconditionally, based on who He is and not on what we do.

We also discover that God isn't a "cheap talker". He doesn't say something without demonstrating it. He backs up what He says with action. "But God demonstrated His love toward us." If He says something, He will put action behind it. He didn't just say He loved us, He proved He loved us by doing something for us- providing a way to Him.

"While we were yet sinners". God doesn't wait until all the conditions are just right or perfect to fulfill His plans. He works according to the council of His own will. He didn't wait until we got our "act together" to come and save us from our sins- He reached out to us before we reached up to Him.

"Christ died for us." The great love of God was so perfectly demonstrated in Christ. There is no greater expression of love than to lay down your life for someone. God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to pay the ransom price for our sins. He didn't send an angel or another human being. Instead He sent His best. He sent that which was most precious to Him- His Son.

Should you be feeling unloved today, take some time out and sit down and read this verse- over and over again- and listen to what it is not only saying but what it reveals. It reveals the incomprehensible love of our truly great and wonderful God who loved you so much. He loved you when you were undeserving, unlovely and at odds against Him. He loved you so much that He gave up His own Son in order to have a relationship with you. He didn't just say that He loved you, He devised a plan to show you that He loves you- and what a great plan it was and what a great love it demonstrated!

Have a great day. God showed us how great His love is for us by sending His Son Jesus to die for us.

For further reading:
John 3:16,17; 15:13
Ephesians 1:11
1 John 4:9,10