Enough Love
The gift that is more than enough.
“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” —John 3:16
In this 30-day devotional series, we have reached the most memorized and most popular Bible verse in history. According to surveys, John 3:16 receives over two million monthly searches globally. That’s a lot! John 3:16 is taught to children in Sunday school and even displayed at sporting events. Yet, many people who identify as Christians today do not actually believe the promise made by Jesus in John 3:16.
What we should know first is that God’s love is not a limited resource we have to earn or measure up to. It is extravagant, sacrificial, and complete. Out of His love, He sent the Son to accomplish the work that secures believers for eternity. In a world that constantly tells us we are not enough, God declares that His provision for us is enough. The cross was not a partial solution; it was the full and final answer for our sin, our shame, and our separation from Him.
When we look at the depth of our failures or the height of our struggles, we can rest in this truth: Jesus saves believers.
Salvation is not based on our performance, our background, or our ability to clean ourselves up first. It is based entirely on God’s love and the finished work of Jesus. Believing in Him is the key that opens the door to a life that is secure, purposeful, and eternally held by the One who loved us enough to give everything.
John 3:16 doesn’t say “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever surrenders his entire heart, mind, and will to Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” No, what Jesus promised was that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Today, many people who think they are saved haven’t actually believed Jesus’ promise of everlasting life that is documented in John 3:16 and other passages. Many wish to replace “whoever believes in Him” with “whoever behaves in Him.” My friends, we cannot save ourselves. God’s love has already done what we never could. Rest in the sufficiency of His Son. His grace is enough. His sacrifice is enough. His promise is enough.
You can believe Jesus’ promise in John 3:16 because God said it and that settles it.
If you know me well enough, you know that there is a special place in my heart for Pastors Chuck Swindoll and J. Vernon McGee. The following quote on John 3:16 is by J. Vernon McGee.
May I get personal? I am going to heaven someday. You may think, “Well, you must be very good.” On the contrary, I am not very good. I am going to heaven someday because Christ died for me, and I trust Him.
We have not adequately scaled the heights, plumbed the depths, or grasped the width of the love of God. Paul was accurate when he said, “To know the love of Christ that passes knowledge.” We are not able to measure the vastness or the intensity or the overwhelming goodness of God. If you could, it would break your heart, just as it would mine. I can only say that God loves you.
These are days in which a great many people are called to go through dark nights and deep waters. When you face problems and face them alone, you need to know that God loves you. Whoever you are, wherever you are, God loves you, and His love is revealed in Christ on the cross. And, my friend, you will find it only there. It is not on the mountaintops or on the surging sea; it is not in babbling brooks or majestic redwood trees—you will not find it anywhere in nature. The Bible makes this crystal clear. “God so loved the world that He gave redwood trees and babbling brooks”? No! “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving the world so much that You gave Your only Son. Thank You that because of Jesus, I don’t have to perish but can have everlasting life through simple, assured belief. Help me to settle this truth deep in my heart: Jesus saves believers, and what You have said settles it completely. Fill me with the confidence that comes from Your perfect, unfailing love. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
View all messages in the series at: www.faithsaves.us/t/enough-faith-series