Bible Minute

What God's Love Does For You

God loves you…and that's a wonderful thing. But how does His love take care of your problem with sin? Let's take a look.

What Does God Say?

God loves you and wants a relationship with you. But since God is also righteous and holy, our sinfulness makes that relationship impossible--unless God does something about it. And He did. John 3:16 tells us "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" (NLT).

That's the first thing God did to take care of our sin: He sent His Son to die for you to pay the penalty for your sin, so you could have eternal life with Him.

Secondly, His love also made it possible for you to be set free from sin. Romans 6:22-23 says, "But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (NLT).

And there's a third thing: In His love, He offers us complete forgiveness, not the kind that says "It's OK, don't worry about it"; then reminds you of it every now and then. This is forgiveness that rolls your sins up into a ball and throws them so far away they'll never be found or held against you again. Psalm 103:12 says,

"He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west" (NLT).

And Romans 8:1 promises no condemnation--once you believe and are "in Christ Jesus."

My Thoughts

You've just looked at three ways God deals with your sin because of His great love for you. The Bible offers many other insights into what God's love does for us. For example, read through Psalm 103 for a few more ideas.

• How do you see God's love in action?
• What does His compassion impel Him to do?
• What are some of the "benefits" He gives to His people?
• What does God understand about who we are as humans?
• What do you learn here that makes you want to trust Him further?

My Part

So, now that you've caught a glimpse of God's love in action, what's next? In Ephesians 3:16-19 Paul prays for the believers "that from his [God's] glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God" (NLT).

Take some time to put these verses into your own words. Have you experienced "how wide, how long, how high, and how deep" God's love is? Are you putting down roots in His love? Are you tapped into His power and strength, the limitless resources of the Spirit? Use your answers to these questions as your own prayer of praise to God for His immeasurable love.