This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
—1 John 4:10
Thoughts on Today’s Verse…
God loved us first! He sent his Son to save us regardless of our decision to believe or reject his grace. But what does Jesus being an atoning sacrifice for our sins mean? It means that Jesus’ sacrifice removes our sins and allows us to be “at one” with God again, presented to the Father by the Son as holy and blameless and above reproach before him (Colossians 1:22). God loved us first! We were once offenders of God’s gracious holiness – we were weak, ungodly, sinners, and enemies (Romans 5:6-10) of God and his holiness – yet God paid the cost to bring us back to Himself in holiness and honor. God loved us first!
My Prayer…
Precious King, God Almighty, why would you love us so much that you would send your Son to die as the atoning sacrifice for our sins? We know that you gave us this gift of love when we were undeserving. We confess that we will never fully comprehend the depth of such sacrificial love as you demonstrated to us. However, we are deeply touched and thank you for your gracious love for us in Jesus. We pray in your name, LORD Jesus, by the power of your intercession and thankful that God loved us first! Amen.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
