Thursday - God’s List

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." — 1 John 4:10

Propitiation is a big word with a beautiful meaning. It means "atoning sacrifice." Jesus Christ is our atoning sacrifice — the One who took the punishment our sin deserved.

But I want you to understand who it was God sent.

Jesus isn't just a good person. He isn't just a great teacher. He isn't only our Prophet, Priest, and King. Jesus is God's Son. So this verse is telling us that God sent His own Son to be the sacrifice for you and me.

Would you do what God did?

Let me ask you a question. Would you offer the life of your child for someone else?

I wouldn't.

There are people I would gladly give my own life for. But if you asked me to make a list of people I'd be willing to give up my son for, you wouldn't even need to hand me a pen. My list would be blank. Not one name.

But that's not how God's love works.

My list would have no names. God has a list too — and His list has the name of every person who has ever lived. God's list contains the whole world.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." — John 3:16

God loves us with an everlasting love so that we can have everlasting life. He allowed His only Son to die so that we could spend eternity with Him.

Who's on the list?

God's list has every name on it.

The person who annoys you is on it. The person who hurt you is on it. The person you've been avoiding is on it.

And so are you.

If you've never received that love for yourself, it's not complicated. All you have to do is call on Him.

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." — Romans 10:13

God didn't keep His love to Himself. He gave it away — at the highest price imaginable. And now He wants to give it away through us.