LOVE CAME DOWN

Nicole Sisti

            It’s time to celebrate Christmas, time to celebrate the birth of Christ. And why did Jesus come? To quote the famous John 3:16, the reason is this:
                        For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

            It says here pretty clearly that Jesus came because God so loved the world. I think 1 John 4:10 sums it up pretty well:
                        This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

            When is the last time you sacrificed something for someone else? If you are a parent, chances are that you’ve sacrificed something recently for your child. Perhaps you’ve sacrificed for a family member of a close friend. Maybe you’ve sacrificed for someone you don’t care much for because someone you love cares for them. But, have you ever sacrificed something cherished for someone who has caused you grief? Someone who has hurt you, or even hates you? Instead of lashing out, this is God’s response:
                        But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  -  Romans 5:8

            OK, so we disrespected God. We turned our backs on him. And, in turn, this is what Jesus does:
                        But [Jesus] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a
                        man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! - Philippians 2:7-8

            That’s one heck of a sacrifice…especially to those who have forsaken him. Now taking that further - because His love has no bounds – we widen our estimation of it. 1 John 3:1a says:
                        How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! …

            Not only does He get tortured and killed for us - the ones who caused him grief - but through that He adopts us!!! Starting to get the picture of how much He loves us? Well, there’s more. What would it take for you to stop loving someone?
                        What shall separate us from the love of Christ? - Romans 8:35

                        For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither
                        height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
                        - Romans 8:37-39

            Pretty incredible picture, right? Well, the truth is that we can’t see the whole picture yet.  Ephesians 3:18-19a says:
                        How wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge…
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​            Hold up - surpasses knowledge?!?! Meaning we can’t even fathom how much He loves us?!? Yup. THAT is love.