He Gave

““For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yesterday at church we were challenged with ‘how much do you love the unlovely?’ We were asked how much we could love the pedophiles, traffickers and terrorises and want to see them come to Christ. I knew this would be hard. It was. I am now challenged to pray, not only that they  are caught but come to repentance and be saved from their gross sins. We were studying Jonah chapter 4.

On another angle I was personally challenged with a scripture from 1 Cor 3:16 where Paul tells the Corinthians they are all God’s temple. My personal world which I share with the Lord quite happily accommodated the Holy Spirit in MY temple, but was challenged to accomodate others who I did not always agree with. Whilst Paul did go on to say, in 1 Cor 6:19-20 that I am the temple of the Holy Spirit, I think I received the message, ‘no pride in self’.

Now, looking at today’s scripture, I am challenged with  God who does all of the above, and goes well beyond. He loves the unlovely and is so unselfish that He gave up is only Son to die on a cross for our sins; my sins of pride and selfishness.

Oh Lord! Help!

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