He Gave

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 everlasting life.”

Have you ever really thought about what it means when it says, “He gave his only begotten son”? It makes me think of my relationship with my kids or even my relationship with my dad. The man I am today, I can truly say, is because of the influence of my dad in my life. It reminds me of the scripture in the Bible when Jesus says in John 14:9, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father,” making me believe that the relationship I have with my dad is no different than the relationship Jesus has with his father God. He loves and respects his father the same way I do with my dad and always wants to please him.

In the book of Genesis, it says, “In the beginning God created—” and the Hebrew word for God is “Elohim,” which is actually plural, meaning more than one.

Then, if you go to John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” A little later in the text it makes it clear that Jesus is “the Word.” All of this to show that Jesus was with God in the beginning of creation.

My dad was a truck driver and was gone a lot, and every time he would come home he would have me go out and work on the truck with him because he wanted to be with me. I don’t know if you all have picked this up yet, but I’m trying to show everyone that God loves his son Jesus the same way we love our children. As a matter of fact, in Matthew 3:17, right after Jesus was baptized God said this about His son Jesus, “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” So, when we go back to our main scripture and read, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son,” this is a big deal. Especially when we know that God knows He’s going to be crucified for our sins and it’s going to be a horrible sacrifice he is going to make for all of us.

This is what I am reminded of when I celebrate Christmas each year.

This child that is born unto us is God’s only son and He loves him dearly and knowing what he is going to have to endure only proves to me how much he loves me and you as well. May we never forget that God loves us so much and wants us to be with him forever.

The Bible tells us that all we have to do is except his son Jesus into our hearts, ask forgiveness of our sins and live for him, and we will be with our Heavenly Father forever. It is my prayer that we may all allow Jesus into our hearts and give ourselves completely to Him.

God bless you all, and may you have a Merry Christmas!