How Much Does God Love You?
By: Gary Hutchison
As a young boy in elementary school, I had a crush on a little girl in my class. And I wondered if she felt the same way about me. The only way I knew how to really find out for sure was what I saw in the cartoons. So, I got a flower and plucked off the petals one at a time. “She loves me, she loves me not... She loves me, she loves me not....” And if it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to, I would get another flower and try it again. As you grow up, you realize that the flower method has its flaws.
There is, however, a sure way to determine whether or not someone really loves you, and how much. And we can learn that from one simple verse in the Bible. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Notice... For God so loved...that He gave.... His only Son....
From this we learn two important truths:
True love always shows itself in giving. You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.
The gifts we give reflect the love we have. Small gifts flow from small love and great gifts flow from great love.
Based on these two principles we can know how much someone loves us and we can know how much we love someone else. Love always gives. And the greater the love, the greater the gift.
Based on these two principles, how much does God love you? Did He show His love by giving? Yes! Did He give a great gift or a small gift? He gave the greatest gift possible!
Know this—God loves you greatly! Never doubt it! Believe it! Receive it!
